When Factions Collide
by thirteenthxdoctorx
Summary: Wren Tailor. Abnegation transfer to Dauntless. Divergent. Sound like anyone familiar? When Wren gets caught up in the Dauntless life, and finally makes new friends, new enemies, and new romances, her life changes. Again. She gets caught in the Hunger Games. Can she make it out alive, and live her Dauntless lifestyle? And will her Divergence remain protected? Major OC characters.
1. Chapter 1

_**AN: Okay I am BACK! And with a new one! YAAS! So, yeah, I know, it starts out a bit unoriginal, but have faith in me, I'll make it all better! Also, I will be posting more and more and more because it is SUMMER BREAK! Have fun reading, please give this a chance, no matter how unoriginal it may seem, and trust me, right now it seems very. But don't worry. It'll get better, it's my first shot at a romantic kind of romance rather than a ship romance! It's gonna be very OC for now, but there will be mention of Divergent characters, and I tried not to change too much about the system, and full rights go to Veronica Roth and Suzanne Collins of course, but I took a bit of artistic liberty and literary license to edit their worlds and mash them together. Okay, phew. Now that that monologue is over, get to the reading, you readers you! Happy Reading, Enjoy~**_

* * *

When Factions Collide

Chapter 1

I wake up in the new compound, looking around at the fellow initiates. We're all here for one purpose; to become Dauntless. We need to face out fears, become brave, never looking back. This is our first actual day here.

"Wren, it's five in the morning, we don't have to be up until eight. What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep." I answered callously. "I would rather be up early and I want to get to the showers before other people come in."

"You're such an Abnegation." I heard the sigh from the next bunk over. Payton snorts and smirks, then becomes gentle with me. "Well, since we're all up, guess we should at least get cleaned up and ready for the day. Head to breakfast, eh?"

I nodded my head and got up, grabbing the black clothes we were given when we first got here.

* * *

The morning of the Placement Test was almost sullen, definitely nerve wracking. I knew that it would be okay, after the Second War everyone came together again and remade society, keeping the factions for the sake of order. We all agreed, except about what to do with the Divergents. That was the problem, even if you declared yourself one of them, they still placed you in the Factionless. By all means, they were treated better than they were before the War, but they had to go there because they kept switching their ideals, not being suitable for one certain lifestyle.

I was afraid I was going to get an inconclusive result, but the best case scenario was that I would lie at the choosing ceremony, as we ran on the honour code now, and I would declare myself another faction, just bearing with the choice I made. We were now ruled by a central government, which made treatment a lot better now as well; instead of just having the Abnegation rule, we had representatives from each faction.

That morning, like all the people of years before me, I walked into the Hub that was our school, and to the newly rebuilt upper levels. Being Abnegation wasn't as bad as before the War, when Tris Prior gave up her life to save the rest of ours, and for a while the faction even became revered. But eventually things went back to normal, and we were "Stiffs" once more. I was twelve when the change happened.

I walked quietly as the hours passed to all my classes, waiting until after the final bell. My legs were shaky and my palms a bit sweaty. I knew I shouldn't have been nervous, but I let the nerves get to me anyway. It was stupid, most people knew where they were headed in life. I didn't. I didn't know what to do, I couldn't make up my mind about a test I couldn't even fail.

I heard my name being called faintly. "Renata." the voice sounded from the doorway. The name didn't even sound familiar, but my body responded as I got up and walked over to the man standing by the testing room wearing all black- a Dauntless volunteer.

"My name is Theo, I'll be administering the test." he said, his eyes locked on mine. "Relax, it won't hurt. Here, drink this." he gave me a serum to drink, and as it slid down my throat I almost gagged. No one said it was going to taste bad; you would think with all the changes they made, taste would be fairly high on the list.

"The test will begin in about a minute. Try not to freak out." he smiled at me as I went under.

The simulation started exactly like the stories I had been told. I woke in an empty room, sitting down. Wait, my hands were confined. There was a centre light staring down on me, and I see people walking towards me. One of them kneels down and slaps me.

"Do you know this man?" he held up a picture.

"No." I lie, even though I do. This man is my father, who was wrongly accused of murdering his wife. This never happened in real life. My father is a good man.

"You won't be charged. Don't lie."

"I do. But you're not going to get me." I struggled to get out of the rope constricting my hands, and once I did, I backed towards the door quickly so they couldn't get me. Damn. Couldn't lie. I expected to find something better; a way out when I ran. I was wrong.

What I found instead was something much worse. I was in the streets of the city during the War. What should have been a distant memory was now a simulation. What was once my past, I had to relive now. So what was I supposed to change? People were shouting and screaming, guns going off around me. I turned to find someone threatening a little girl, about ten years in age. I ran over to her to get in the way of the two, my Abnegation instinct taking over. But some other part of me stopped to look at the ground, my foot kicking something hard. There was a gun with a few bullets left lying there. I picked it up, shot the man in the leg, and took the girl, running to find some sort of safety.

There was a safe house a few streets down that I ran her into, and I stayed outside to guard her. I heard her in the house crying, and I wanted so badly to go in to comfort her, but I had to move on. I started climbing up the stairs into an alleyway, ducking and holding the gun close to my chest. I had occurred to me that I had never fired a gun before, but something inside me knew how.

After I had pondered that thought, I jolted awake.

"Twelve minutes. Not bad." Theo nodded at me to get up. As I stood, my legs felt a bit wobbly. "Whoa, take it easy instead. The effects will wear off in a bit. Stay here for a little, your time was a bit fast anyway."

The way he looked at me and eased me back into the chair, now in an upright position, didn't make me feel like everything was alright.

"How...bad was it?" I finally got up the nerve to ask. He looked a bit puzzled as he contemplated the response. I started putting my head down in shame, in fear of my results.

"It wasn't all bad...but," he stopped, looking around. "You appear to have gotten more than one result." My eyes widened in fear, this was what I had hoped would not happen. "It'll come up as Dauntless, as that was eighty percent of the result, but you have fifteen percent of Erudite and five percent Candor response as well."  
"Will I be factionless? What about the Abnegation part?"

"Your Abnegation wasn't too strong. I believe that you only saved the girl because it was a brave act, not a selfless one. That doesn't mean you're not Abnegation, it just means there was no clear response. Typical of Divergents. If you don't say anything, you'll be fine. Your scores were so skewed towards Dauntless that you could fit in so easily. But don't go blabbing about the test results to anyone. I mean it, Stiff. Just because you're safe now doesn't mean you'll be safe in there, or anywhere. You can never be completely open about it."

I nodded. I knew what I had to do. Theo said I was safe though. He looked like he knew what he was talking about.

"Go. It's been about twenty minutes now. Renata? I think you could fit Dauntless, if you want my personal opinion."

I looked back and went out the door, not saying another word.

* * *

_**AN: Renata. Not the best name in the world, even I laughed, but I had to make something up at the time, and I really wanted to give her a nickname, so there is that. I know you probably laughed too. I know I did, and I was scared to even begin to make this, but it'll get better, I'm planning as I go along. There's just a lot to get right and I'm trying to do my research, so I'm going back through the books and highlighting and annotating every single little detail that I have to make sure fits with the story and vice versa. Hope you enjoyed it at least a little bit and I hope you'll give me a chance to prove my literary genius!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_AN: Welcome to my humble abode of writing nonstop for the summer. I'm back and I've been writing since like three AM, so I've got a few more ideas. I'm planning on this being a really long book, and I am dedicated. Yeah, I know, less original than most would hope, but hear me out! It's a crossover for a reason! Besides, there is supposed to be a little background:P so bear with me until it gets a little more, well, bearable I suppose, and Happy Reading!~_**

* * *

When Factions Collide

Chapter 2

After I showered, I put on the black clothes we were assigned when we got here. A long sleeved shirt, black jeans, black boots, and a leather vest. They all felt a bit small, a bit revealing. Or rather, I wasn't used to the clothes here being this tight.

* * *

The next day was the Choosing Ceremony. This was the last time I would ever see my parents, until Visiting Day. Maybe after initiation I would go visit them, but I could never live with them, be in my own house again. They had no one else but me. I almost felt bad leaving them, but Theo had told me to choose Dauntless. I hadn't even thought about Erudite, and I would never be able to truly live an Abnegation, nor a Candor life. Not after fantasizing everyday during class about being able to jump and scream and run around instead of being quiet and reserved, no, Abnegation was not for me.

The Ceremony started with remarks from our central government, and then from the nationwide Capitol government. There were other cities besides ours, and after the War we came together to form a new nation. After our president spoke, they started calling names. I would be one of the last, my name beginning with T.

Once I heard my name being called, I no longer felt fear in my choice, but instead I took a deep breath, walked up to the platform, and took the knife. I stood there, in the same position Tris Prior once stood, my hero, not even five years ago. I cut my hand and let the blood drop onto the coals, smoke rising a bit, enough for me to smell. I was glad I had made the choice as soon as I had done it, and I exhaled. This was my life now. I looked over at my new family as they clapped and cheered, a new one among them. I stood in between a Dauntless born and an Erudite transfer. They both smiled at me.

I was in a daze for the rest of the Ceremony, only snapping out of it as I was being pushed towards the doorway, down the stairs. The other groups were quite reserved. Not so with Dauntless, laughing and yelling as we ran down the streets towards the El, the train that would come and take us to the compound. The only problem was that there were no stairs, we had to climb up the posts, as I had seen them do many times before. There were rungs and bolts for footing, and I started the climb as it seemed second nature to me, I had watched them so often. As soon as I had reached the platform, the train was coming.

"Come on, jump on! Oh, the name's Bri." she nudged me forward good-naturedly and hopped the train with ease. This was the same girl I had stood next to in the Ceremony. I grabbed the railing after her and jumped as she pulled me in a little too hard, smacking me into a boy from Amity.

"Oh, sorry about that!" I exclaimed above the noise, my Abnegation habits returning as I apologised.

"No, no, my fault." Bri took the blame. The boy looked at her, smiled, and extended his arms in a greeting hug, enveloping me awkwardly.

"Oh, right, no hugs. Abnegation." he pulled back. "Adam."

"Renata." I said, suddenly even uncomfortable with my name. He stepped back and looked me over, as if he were inspecting me for the Dauntless himself.

I stood in the open doorway, my bravery coming in large doses, holding on to the rails. Maybe Theo was right, I was really meant to be Dauntless.

"Where do you suppose the compound is?" asked Adam, slightly behind me, most likely making sure I didn't fall.

"Should be coming up soon. Get ready to jump."

As I looked around, I saw people in the cars in front of us start jumping onto a rooftop.

"That must be it." I said as Bri poked her head out next to mine to affirm it.

"Now!" she smiled and jumped, winking at me before she flew through the air.

"Do you want to go together?" the boy asked, his brow furrowing and his hand extended.

"No thanks, I want to do this on my own." I replied. I could see the frown as I ran out and jumped, but once I was in the air, I didn't remember him. I didn't remember anything but the feeling of flight, and as I hit the ground I did a tuck and roll, very smoothly if I were to say so. Adam landed next to me, rolling on his side coarsely, but not too injured.

"Oh, sorry, did I hit you?" another girl, Payton, asked. She was the Erudite who stood next to me, but she seemed too nice to be Dauntless, seeming like she would rather fit in Amity or even Abnegation better.

"No, you're fine." I said as Bri came up and grabbed me.

"Y'know, for a Stiff, you fit in pretty well already!" she beamed at me.

"Alright, alright. Enough fooling around. Gather around, everyone." I knew that voice. Where did I know that voice from? Oh! One of the Dauntless leaders who fought in the war. I think his name was...

"Peter. I'll be overseeing your training for you Dauntless born. But first, for all of you, your first task of bravery. Jump off the roof. Any volunteers?"

Not a moment passed and I felt myself walking and stepping onto the ledge, looking into the deep abyss.

"Another Abnegation? Last time I met someone as brave as you was-"  
"Tris Prior." A Candor girl said behind me.

"Well, take off, Stiff." Peter said, almost menacingly.

I jumped-no, more like fell- off the roof into the deep hole. The darkness surrounded me, but not for long as I felt ropes catching me.

"Renata, decided to join us after all. Do us all a favour and choose a different name. Renata is too... Abnegation." Theo whispered, helping me down.

"I've been thinking about that. Wren. How about Wren?" I breathed into him as I still felt a bit winded.

"I like it. Well, tradition calls. Wren! First jumper!" he yelled, and people cheered in response. I felt like Tris at that moment. I could fit in with the Dauntless while being Divergent. There was still hope.

After everyone had jumped, we split up. Dauntless born were with Peter, which was probably a good thing, because I didn't want to end up with him. We went with Theo, who showed us around the compound. It was dimly lit and I had to keep myself steady as we crossed narrow paths.

"Whoa, careful." Theo said as he saw me trip. He was so easily walking backwards, while I had to watch my every move.

"Why so dark?" Mels, the Candor, asked.

"Because shut up, Candor, that's why. It's how we live." The Amity boy pat her shoulder as she looked quite taken aback by his response. "Isaac will lead you on from here. I'll see you all at training tomorrow." he parted the group and walked back the way he came as Isaac came forward, pushing me aside gently so I wouldn't trip again.

"Wonder what's so special about an Abnegation who has a conflicting sense of balance?" Mels said. "Sorry, didn't mean it like that." she said, sensing my discomfort.

"Follow me. And stop picking on the Stiff. Don't want her to throw herself off the chasm already." he joked, although it felt a bit pointed. "Isaac. I was from Abnegation last year." Instantly I smiled. If he could fit in, then so could I. I wanted to prove to Theo for some reason that I could make it in.

Isaac was tall. Really really tall, compared to my five foot three frame. I wasn't petite, but I was very lean. He towered over me, but I felt immediately safe with him, like a fondness or a connection was forming between us. Dauntless morals were not as corrupt as they were before the War. There was more of a sense of unity, like the original intent.

He led us on through a different hallway, even darker than those before. The Amity boy had his hand gently on the small of my back, guiding me in case I misplaced my feet. We got to a room, which was adorned with little else than ten bunks, showers, and all in all, very sparse. Not as plain as the ones back home, but certainly not appealing to any aesthetic sense in any way at all.

"This is where you'll be staying until initiation. As standard procedure, up at eight to begin training, with a lunch break, then continuing until six. You're free to do whatever you would like until two in the morning, curfew. As for now, dinner is on in two hours. Training begins tomorrow. Oh, and get rid of the old clothes. If you follow me,we'll get you new ones. Discard your old ones when you change.

He led us to a shelf with different sizes of shirts, jeans, and vests. All the same style for each gender. They were much more revealing than any Abnegation outfit. We each took three changes of clothes, as we could buy other clothes with the one hundred credits we got each month.

I went into the bathroom stall, Payton and Mels in front, almost guarding me even though we were the last to change. They kindly waited with me until everyone else was finished and had left the room.

"So, different from Abnegation much?" the Candor burst out. "Never thought I would take to you, Stiff, but you seem...different, I don't know."

"Heh, thank you." I accepted the first compliment of my life. In truth, I was a bit different. Not in just my status, but in my looks and the way I acted. Certainly I didn't act like an Abnegation, that was for sure. My mother had always said I attracted people to me, just by my presence. I also didn't have the normal Abnegation "look", not with my lean figure, my red hair, and my pale skin. My looks were definitely part of the initial interest people took to me, I had always guessed, but I never did carry myself like I was privileged to now.

The shirt was tight and low cut, well, in comparison to the grey frock I had on before. The pants were also form fitting, showing off my hips and thighs. The boots were the only part that felt similar to the shoes I had originally owned.

"Let's go get dinner, I'm starved!" Payton exclaimed.

We walked the paths until we came to the Pit, a lively place and aptly named. There was a skylight above that at least let some sunlight in, but it was getting near sunset so it didn't get much use now.

My group sat down at the end of one of the long tables, and a few others joined us, like Bri, who came up to introduce her friend.

"This is Nathan. He's been my best friend since forever! Nathan, this is Wren, Mels, and Payton." They sat down with us. We seemed to be forming quite the group as the boy from Amity sat down next to me.

"Enjoying the food?" he asked as he eyed my plate, picking up what was called a hamburger and taking a large bite.

"Wait," Mels looked up, shocked, "You've never had one before?" she looked at my plain plate.

"Abnegation. Too selfless for their own good." Payton interjected. "What? That's what we always said. Carry on." she started eating. We all laughed and dug in.

A couple minutes later, I turned to see Theo and Isaac coming in. They looked like they were talking about the initiates. I saw them point over at us, our group that seemed to integrate very quickly, and then my eyes followed where Theo was pointing, over to another Erudite initiate who was sitting alone. She was very pretty, I was wondering why maybe the Amity boy wasn't going to sit with her.

Isaac and Theo came to our group and stood behind me as I turned. Isaac's hand fell onto my shoulder heavily and I looked at him, seeing him smile with friendship in his eyes.

"Can I help you?" my attitude was growing now.

"I don't seem to remember seeing you ever." he looked a bit confused at me.

"Well, you're a year older. Not surprising."

"Name?"

"Renata."

"Nope. Don't remember that name either. Are you ready to give up that life though?" he sat down next to me.

"Isaac," Theo interrupted as I was beginning to answer, "We need to talk to Peter."

"Peter can wait. I'm making friends here, Theo, be sociable for once in your life and stop being so shut up. Sit down."

"Fine, don't have to tell me twice." he gave up fairly easily, with a smirk. "Move over, Amity." he said to Adam. "Hey, Wren, how's it going? Better than Abnegation?"

"You know, everyone keeps asking me that." I snapped a bit, not used to the attention I was suddenly getting. Sixteen years of being reserved really did something to sociability. "The food is amazing." I said graciously as I took another bite of burger.

"The clothes, they...fit you. Like you belong here." he smiled.

"How do you two even know each other?" Isaac turned us apart from each other, everyone leaning in to hear the enthralling story.

"He was my test administrator. That's all."

"Kind of told her to go Dauntless. Advertisement." He added onto my story. "Isaac, we really do need to go talk to Peter, I want to divvy up the responsibilities. See you around, Wren." Theo got up and touched my shoulder, Isaac punching my arm and following him.

"Abnegation girl talks to people? Weird." Bri laughed.

"Oh stop, they probably just think she's an easy target." Payton continues. I frowned. Isaac was from Abnegation. Surely he didn't think I was so easy.

"Don't listen to them, Wren. They don't see that Abnegation has a beautiful culture." Adam slung his arm around my shoulder, reassuring me.

"If that's the case, then why didn't you go join them?" Bri laughed out loud now, getting a few good comments in. I would have to learn to joke around like this.

As soon as we stopped laughing, Peter's voice filled the room.

"Alright, listen up. We've got a new batch of initiates here. We welcome you to Dauntless, but you're gonna have to prove yourself as well. Isaac, Theo, and I will be overseeing your training. Good luck to those initiates, rest up for tomorrow. Curfew is still two AM. Until then, the time is yours."

After that, we were able to go out at will as long as we were in the room by two. Policies about leaving the compound were luckily a little more lenient than they were before the War, as our fairly large group of friends roamed the streets outside the compound. I felt like there was hope here, a new beginning. A new life.


	3. Chapter 3

_**AN: I am having so much fun! Seriously like this has been so fun to write, and I've written up to chapter five so you'l be getting a whopping THREE CHAPTERS! Please ignore how much it is unoriginal, although this part is pretty original, I'm still getting my bearings for the characters and how they interact for each other. You know I try to do my research:) So please read on and enjoy! Happy Reading~**_

* * *

When Factions Collide

Chapter 3

Day one of training and I was the first one up at five, waking my other two friends up as well. Mels and Payton looked over, seeing if I was ready to go to breakfast. Everyone was only starting to get up; it was around six thirty now. I thought about how training would start today. I had no idea how to start, but since it was still early, I decided to start running. I needed to get in shape. I was already thin, but not Dauntless figure, and I had no muscle whatsoever.

"I'm going to go run, if you want to come." at that moment, Adam decided to get up. "Didn't realise you were awake. Might go running, if you want to join me."

"I would love to. Hold on for a couple minutes." he grinned at me and said good morning to Payton and Mels. We waited by the door for ten minutes and he emerged with his hair wet and black jeans on, shrugging into his shirt as he walked out.

"We're allowed to go out right?"

"Yeah, as long as we're back by eight. Curfew ended at six. Ready? Payton? Mels?"

"Sure, why not, but we might try to hop the train for a little bit. I want to see the city from above." Mels said.

"Fair enough!" I started walking along the paths to find the way out. There was a residential complex above the Pit where the exit was, and as soon as I hit the glass doors, I broke out into a sprint. I wanted to test my speed before I tested my endurance. Sure enough, I was faster than the rest of them, as it took a good thirty seconds for even Adam to catch up to me.

"Geez, Stiff, trying to get out so fast?" He breathed heavily, trying to catch his breath.

After about a minute and a half we stopped at the train, saying goodbye to Mels and Payton for the time being. I was a bit winded, but now that I tested my speed, it was time to test how long I could go.

"Where are we headed, any place in mind?"

"No, I don't know the city very well, I mean I just stuck to the basics. You were Amity, you should know where we are fairly well."

"Yeah, the gates are about a mile and a half from here. I can take you to a few pretty sights if you're up for it."

"As long as we're back by eight." My punctuality did not seem to disappear when I left Abnegation.

I started jogging, now realising why we had to wear tight clothes. They were aerodynamic, and I could definitely see why the Dauntless were able to run and climb more than the other factions. This felt liberating, freeing, and I felt at home. Though my legs started giving out after about ten minutes, I kept pushing on, pushing to the breaking point. I was starting to feel winded, but then Adam made a turn and stopped at the first point, we were a mile from the gates.

"This is sort of the start of Amity, like this is technically the line. But it's public, we don't like to keep people out of it, as long as you're Dauntless or Erudite. We have a good relationship with both of them, sorry for you, Stiff." he smirked at me, casually bumping into me. He always seemed so happy, so, interested when talking to me. I wondered if there was a pretense, or if, like many others, he fell prey to my capturing presence that I tried to deny my whole life.

"It's pretty," I said, taking a look at the small meadows that grew along the path. "We're allowed to just walk through here? What if someone catches us?" I said out of habit, immediately regretting the lack of bravery I was showing. He seemed to notice and sympathize.

"We won't. And if we do, we just turn back. Take a chance." he paused and slung an arm around my shoulder. I would have questioned it if he weren't from Amity, where they are very liberal with their physical affection. "So, what were you like? I mean, you had to choose Dauntless for a reason. Abnegation does not just turn one eighty."

"I don't know," I had to stop and think, "I guess that I just felt selfish enough to take off from my family, but I also felt selfless enough to be brave for everyone else, you know, 'protectors of the city' and all that." which was partially true. I shrugged him off. "Come on, let's keep going." I started running again, feeling pretty good.

Another twenty minutes and we were at the gates, watching the Amity farmers work in the fields past us.

"I used to work out there." he waved to someone he obviously recognised, a younger girl who looked a lot like him. "That's my sister, she and I were really close."

"How old is she?"

"Twelve."

"A few more years then, maybe she'll chose Dauntless." I said, turning around. "It's got to be about seven, we should get back."

"Yeah, let's go meet up with Mels."

We ran back, my legs starting to get used to my stride, only having to take a break once after about twenty minutes. After about thirty we got back to the trains, where I saw Payton and Mels jump off, better than they did the last time.

"Nice!" I shouted, clapping a bit. Now that I didn't have to be so reserved, I could start getting a personality. Maybe my sarcasm would find a better home here than Abnegation.

"Thanks, how was your run?" Mels asked, grabbing my arm. "I think the Amity boy might have a thing for you." she whispered. Payton and Adam strayed behind as Mels and I talked.

"Not after only a day." I countered.

"Oh, I forgot, you don't know anything about love." she said, teasing me lightly. "Well, coming from Candor, I know flirting when I see it. It looks like it's love at first sight, Abnegation girl." she smiled. "Take a chance, go for it!" we both laughed as we entered the compound.

"Ah, and right on time. Food awaits!" Payton laughed as we went to the table where Bri, Nathan, Isaac and Theo were all sitting. Theo smiled and looked up at me, scooting over from Isaac to make room for me.

"Morning, Wren, how'd you sleep?" Isaac turned to me.

"Let the poor girl get some food, she's probably starving after that run." Theo scowled at Isaac jokingly.

"How did you know I went for a run?" I asked.

"Saw you from the window of my complex. Pretty fast. Hopefully it keeps up during training. You," he pointed at Adam, "Still have a lot of work to do if you want to keep up."

"His endurance is better than mine." I tried to cover for him.

"Endurance can be worked at, speed is something you're born with." he stated. "You'll find that out at training today." he nodded and got up to leave. "Isaac, we should get started."

"Lighten up, it's their first day, let them have some food." he piled eggs and sausage on to his plate, stuffing the food in his mouth. He started talking with his mouth stuffed, but the general context I gathered was: "You never used to be so uptight." he didn't seem very uptight to me.

"Fine, but eight thirty, be there." he looked at him, and then at us. "Training facilities are a floor below your room. See you, Wren." he winked at me before saying goodbye.

"Oh, looks like he found a target. Wouldn't be surprised if he started going hard on you or making you fight." Isaac said to me.

"What do you mean?"

"There's always a favourite. You're it this year."

"But why me?"

"Why's an Abnegation girl going to Dauntless? Gotta be some reason. You and me, we're different. Don't fit the norm. I mean, look at all the Abnegation to cross over. You, me, Tris Prior, and Four. The only four in Faction History, and you and I came after the war."

"So?"

"So, are you different, Stiff? Are you gonna be one of us? Because that's what Theo thinks. He thinks you can make it, make's you interesting. Makes you better than the rest of them, no offense."

"Yeah, but Adam is from Amity." Mels jumped in.

"Doesn't matter. Friendly, yeah, but even nice people get pissed off sometimes. Abnegations are taught to literally self-reserve, self-discipline, in turn, getting rid of the self. Dauntless are against _all_ of that."

"Oh, so what you're saying is Wren never belonged in the first place, to Abnegation, I mean."

"Exactly."

"And you think Theo took an interest in her just because of the Abnegation?" Adam asked. Suddenly everyone was interested in me and my life story.

"I've seen it before, in other instructors. They all take an interest in those who they deem similar to themselves. So why are you two so similar?" he asked the pointed question.

"I don't know." I lied. I was Divergent, of course I was different. Maybe that's why Theo took pity on me, he was like me.

"We'll find out soon." Isaac got up from the table. "Come on, let's get you to training. We're doing combat training today." he smiled at the Amity boy, who I could almost tell he detested.  
"Sounds fun, let's start." I said, trying to let the Dauntless shine through.


	4. Chapter 4

When Factions Collide

Chapter 4

I sprung up from the table, suddenly very eager to start training. If I was one of Theo's favourites, then maybe I would survive initiation, not get kicked out, and not have to go back home or become factionless if the Abnegation didn't accept me. I could be one of them, Dauntless. Isaac followed me out as I started walking to the training room, and I heard the rest follow us. I chose this time, while we were ahead of them, to ask Isaac a few things.

"Seems like Theo isn't the only one taking an interest in me. What makes me so special to you, Abnegation boy?" I smirked at him, flipping my hair nonchalantly. This new personality was taking on too easily, I blamed being Divergent.

"Me? No, no. I don't think of it as an interest. I want to be friends with you, show you around, get you used to everything. I also feel like I can be real around you, you knew my culture."

"That sounds like an interest to me." I clarified. Of course I didn't want to start anything with him, I was _not_ looking for that.

"Oh, I thought you meant..."

"No, I meant why do I fascinate you. You just seemed to have wanted to talk to me since the first time we met."  
"You seemed...not Abnegation from the start. I can tell that's true now. I like it, I was never like that. I was always really reserved until I met Theo. We became friends after I was initiated."  
"Wait, you mean you're not in the same year?"

"No, we were. But I just never talked to him."

"How many were in your group?" Isaac opened the door and I walked in, seeing guns and targets lined up.

"Twelve." I heard a voice behind me.

"Oh, Theo. Hey," I don't know why I was being so bashful, probably because I didn't want to mess anything up.

"Hey, Wren." He smiled and clapped a hand on my shoulder. "There were twelve of us, since Isaac seems to be telling you our life story. Isaac, go get the rest of them."

"A few are coming down."

"Go back up and get the rest of them." Theo ordered. I could see who was the real one in charge. "Anyway," he continued after Isaac left, "Isaac and I were never in the same group of friends when it came to initiation. In fact, we hated each other. I was basically the one who focused more on training than on friends. He, on the other hand, was reserved, but people wanted him to talk, and talk he did. So much that he just shed the Abnegation part of him, and led on the full Dauntless. Can't say when we decided to stop hating and become friends, but I'm glad we did. He's one of the best I have."

"You both aren't just trying to use me to get me to open up about Abnegation, are you?"

"Use you? What? Wren, if I really wanted to use you, I would be seducing you as much as possible." He joked, flashing his teeth in my direction. "No, I found you interesting at the test. You're Divergent, and from Abnegation. Sound like anyone?"

"Tris Prior."

"I want to keep an eye on you," he nodded, "But I also don't want to see you fail. I like seeing you..." he paused and cleared his throat, "I like seeing the Dauntless in you after I saw what Abnegation you had at the test. And it wasn't much, which is why I like seeing you expand your horizons. Welcome to Dauntless, home of the brave." he said as he set up the final gun, looking at the door, expecting people to come in.

"Come in, and Theo will tell you what to do." Isaac walked the rest of the group in.

"Wren!" Mels came over and stood on one side of me, talking about what happened when Isaac and I were coming down. "And Adam would _not_ stop staring at you, I could have almost _sworn_ he was jealous, of course, Isaac doesn't really have a thing for you and-"

"Candor. Shut it. I'm trying to save your life in the future. Quit distracting those who want to live," Theo said, looking at me.

"Rude." she whispered at me.

"Where is Adam?" I noticed he wasn't there when Payton and Mels came in.

"Bathroom I think, or he had to go put something on. Not sure. Oh! There he is!"

"Amity, why are you late?" Theo was on point as soon as Isaac closed the door behind him.

"Sorry, just getting different shoes." he said apologetically.

"Don't let it happen again." he glared at Adam, who stood in close proximity next to me.

"Ohh someone else is jealous too." Mels nudged me.

We got the instructions, and were told to pick up a gun and start shooting. I had never held one, and the one in the simulation was just that; a simulation. I picked one up, and knelt in between Adam and Mels and they started to hit the target. When they had shot ten bullets each, I had shot about four.

"Pick up the pace, Abnegation." Isaac was the one chastising me, obviously trying to push me, probably like he had been pushed by his leader. I wonder who his trainer was, maybe Peter.

"Just aim, and focus. Then pull the trigger." Payton was the perfect shot, both the Erudite girls were. Mels was precise, but not accurate, and Adam could get a couple bullets here and there, but no pattern on the target. The one Erudite girl, Caroline, who I saw sitting by herself, was the best shot of them all.

I finally got the hang of it and started shooting better, but still not as fast. The others were knocking out bullets and hitting the target, while I was the one holding us up and even though I hit the target pretty well, I still needed to speed up. Our group worked on it for about two hours before we moved to the next part of physical training.

"What you need to remember about hand to hand combat is your strength. Not your physical strength, but where your best shots are at. Look for the other person's weaknesses. Use them to your advantage. Maybe you'll get out alive. Start training. Let's go!"

Again, I had no muscle, so I wasn't as good. Being lean was better than being petite, like Payton, but I wasn't Isaac either. I would have to rely on speed and technique, which hopefully I could master. I started at the punching bag, trying to warm up my arms, hopefully tone them. Obviously I wasn't doing it right because Theo kept looking at me with a criticizing look on his face.

"Don't worry about the strength part of it." Isaac took my shoulders and stopped me. "Try to think about the bag as a body. Where would the weakest spots be? Hit there, and be quick with it, and your jabs will pack more of a punch."

I nodded at him and kept going. Sure enough, not only did I actually move the punching bag a little, I was starting to feel a burn where muscle would soon be forming, what I didn't feel before. I looked over, and Mels was trying to show off her strength, which, for a Candor, she had more of than I did. Payton was quick but she was trying to use more brute force. Adam was the strongest out of our group, mostly from being a guy, but also because he told me he had to work on the farms, which required a lot of muscle to do as well. He was able to execute the punches with brute force, and he got somewhere with it, unlike Payton.

"Stop." Theo shouted above the sound of punches, "Break for lunch. Be back in here in an hour to start hand to hand combat."

Mels and Payton stood by the door waiting for me, but I was waiting for Isaac. Adam saw that, and went to go talk to Erudite girl instead. I thought that was nice, but then I remembered he was Amity. Of course he was nice.

Isaac looked at me and smiled, jogging over to walk up to lunch. I noticed Theo was still here, not bothering to come over, instead wrapping his wrist and going to a punching bag.

"Is he not joining us?"

"Nah, he said he wanted to brush up on a few skills. Let him be." Isaac escorted us out.

Lunch was a nice break, but everyone was so tired that all they did was eat and sit, there wasn't much talking. I had some bread and water, pure Abnegation, but also I didn't want to stuff myself for the hand to hand combat.

"Probably a good idea, but get some protein too." he pointed to the chicken that was there. I took a leg and started eating, making sure not to fill myself up too much.

An hour passed quickly, and once again, I was the first one down there; Isaac let me go ahead while he got the other initiates. I walked in to see Theo still punching the bag, not stopping until I was about half way over to him.

"Ready?" he asked me, pointing to the rink.

"Not really, what if I'm not good enough? I'm not strong."

"Wren," he came over and slid a hand from my shoulder to my arm, almost stroking it in a comforting action, "it's your first day. It's not going to be something that makes or breaks your Dauntless career. You'll be fine. Trust me, under Peter, Isaac and I, Dauntless values are not like how they used to be. It's real now, not just some Erudite plot twist. I promise." he smiled at me and stood in the centre of the rink as the rest of them came in. He had such good timing, but I still felt where his hands lingered on me, wishing it had been longer for some reason. I was starting to enjoy the more friendly affection I was getting, being so deprived in Abnegation.

"What's next?" Mels asked Theo.

"Still no filter, I see. We'll fix it, you'll soon learn to respect your elders. Now we're going to start training you to fight with each other. You'll see a chart here, and there's ten of you, meaning three fights before practicing technique again. After that, two more fights, and you'll be dismissed for dinner."

It was one o'clock now, that meant five more hours. Each fight was supposed to last about five to ten minutes. We weren't supposed to kick each other down as much as practice dodging and technique, it was all about the speed.

"Mels and Payton, you're up."

"You've got to be kidding me." Mels looked at her with a sympathetic look on her face.

I stood with Adam, who stood next to Caroline. It was weird, she didn't like me, I could tell. She kept trying to get near him, and he towards me. I felt like the end of a trainwreck, and the feeling in my stomach didn't get any better as I saw my two friends fighting each other, trying to be gentle.

"Come on, don't be kind. She'll forgive you." he said to Mels. Payton was slowly becoming merciless, and she aimed a low jab in the gut, which stuck. Mels went down for a minute, and I looked away. Adam put his arm over my shoulder, bringing me in close. I reciprocated, hanging on to him, mostly out of the need for comfort. This was an uncomfortable thing to watch, but the look Theo gave me as soon as he saw what was happening was even worse.

Mels was down in about fifteen minutes, putting up a fight but then slowly giving up. Honestly, I thought that she would win. I assumed Payton would get tired in the first few minutes, but the fight lasted a while.

"Get up, both of you. Payton wins. Next up, Wren versus Adam."

"What?" I yelled, going over to Isaac.

"I cannot possibly beat him. He's too strong."

"But you're lean and you're fast. Try it. I have faith." I scowled in response and climbed into the rink.

"I'm sorry," Adam said to me, but I aimed a jab at his side as soon as he said it. He dodged fairly quickly, leaving me to only graze his shirt, which didn't do any harm.

I was faster, I had that on him, but he side-swept my leg from under me, which I didn't think about, only focusing on the upper half of the body. Caroline giggled at my mistake. No, she did not like me. And that's when the rage set in.

I jumped back up and punched him square in the jaw, doing more damage than I had last time. I felt guilty, I was taking out my anger on the girl on him, but I had to do something. He tried to overtake me, but I ducked and pivoted to the other side, getting a good kick in the back which knocked him over. I heard Isaac whisper something to Theo, who looked back at me and at him and smiled.

My anger was starting to overtake me as I felt my speed increase, as well as my endurance. But as well with mine, so was his. It was fifteen minutes into the fight, and both of us only had one good shot in.

"Adam, she's Abnegation, you can beat her and send her away." Caroline said. Mels shot her a look and was about to go over and slap her had Isaac not told her to be quiet.

That statement enraged me, and I got a kick to the gut, which sent him backwards. I measured up to him and started stalking him, as one would their prey, and I got an uppercut and a good smack to the face. He was down in about a minute, his lip split and starting to bleed.

"Wren, I think you won." Payton said, trying to get me to stop. I kept advancing on him as he tried to crawl away, almost afraid of me. No, I would not be stopped. This girl and him were talking, and she was trying to get me out of Dauntless. In my mind, talking to her made him an accomplice.

"I give. You win, Wren." he croaked, tears leaking out of his eyes in pain. Emotional or physical, I could not tell.

It was then that I snapped out of it and saw the damage I had done. I looked at him, blood trickling down his lip, and exited the rink. I felt the back of my head from when he knocked me over, only to feel a bruise starting to form. The rest of the initiates looked at me, like I was some sort of monster. Isaac called the next two, a boy from Candor and one from Erudite.

"Not a concussion, right?" Theo came up to me, putting his hands on my shoulders, almost giving me a massage. He leaned next to my ear, "Are you alright? What happened?"

"Nothing," I lied and shook my head. I wasn't sure what happened myself, there was no need to worry Theo about it.

"If you want to talk, we can talk after dinner. I want to get to know you anyway." he turned around and gave me a worried sort of smile, going back to watch the fight, letting me rest.

"What's up?" Isaac came over with Mels and Payton and sat down as the next two, a boy from Erudite and a boy from Candor, fought.  
"I just beat up one of my friends and I got angry."

"Oooh you felt something bad." Mels said. Isaac and Payton shot her a look.

"She's from Abnegation. They're taught not to feel anything, especially not contempt." Payton reasoned out to the Candor.

"Who upset you?"

"That girl, Caroline, she doesn't like me and she wants me out."  
"So?"

"So, I can't leave. If I get kicked out, I become factionless."

"So be better than her. I've seen you do it. If anything, she'll be the one kicked out. Don't worry about her." Payton said to me, reassuring me.

The other fight lasted another fifteen minutes before Theo gave us a fifteen minute water break before training again. Caroline was over with Adam consoling him, which made me see red again. I don't know what I did to make her hate me, but whatever it was, I hope I didn't get kicked out because of it. I was just trying to calm down before practicing again, now I wasn't even sure of who I was. But then, this was a new faction, a new life, and I was a new person. Maybe this was me. Maybe this is how I'm supposed to be. Hopefully Theo didn't hate me for it.

After training, we all walked to dinner. Isaac was with Mels and Payton, giving Theo and I time to talk. I think that's what the two may have been talking about during my fight. Theo seemed very friendly towards me, even after my aggression. Maybe he wasn't disgusted by me.

"Tell me what's up. That was quite Dauntless of you back there."

"It was nothing, I'm not even sure what happened to me."

"Wren," he stopped me and turned to face me, and I lowered my face in shame. He tilted my head back up. "Look at me. What's the problem? I'm worried about you. Ever since that fight and that girl, and," he clenched his teeth when he said it, "Adam," he breathed again, "you seem different. And it's only been a day."

"Theo, you don't hate me, do you?"

"What? No, Wren. How could I possibly hate you?"

"Because I'm different than the Abnegation girl you tested. In fact, I'm just different period."

"Just because you're Divergent? Just because you switched factions? Just because you're making a new life for yourself?" he looked down at me and pulled me closer. "Wren, I could never hate you. I'm not disgusted or repulsed by you. I don't care that you're not the girl I tested. In fact, I kind of like the new you. You're different, yeah. It's fascinating. But I am worried about you because I don't want to see you spiral down, and I do _not_," he shuddered as he grabbed my wrist tighter, "want to see your body found in that chasm. I want to see you succeed. But I also think Adam and that other girl of his are going to be a bad influence on you, they keep making you angry. Yes, I heard what she said. And I don't agree with her. Wren, I love the way you are, no matter what. And I see a good future for you. Let yourself be real for once. You don't have to act." he pulled me in for a hug. It was less awkward than the one with Adam.

"I want to learn more about you, though. I don't just want to be this open book." I told him. "Wait, I didn't just say that out loud, did I?"

"No harm done," he chuckled, "And I think that will be a good idea later in the future. Let's just get through the first day before you make a complete Dauntless transformation. By the way," he said as we walked into the Pit, "I think that you'll like tomorrow. Long distance running. We can start talking more then." And we parted ways.

* * *

**_AN: *Sigh* this is such a new territory, drama and friendship and feelings. I mean, with original characters it is. I'm really hoping you enjoy it, keep reading on, I'll be posting a lot! Of course, I plan on there being a lot to past, so there's that. This is gonna be looooonggggg so prepare for a cross country road trip!:P _**


	5. Chapter 5

_**AN: The final of the three chapter streak, but no worries because I'll be back tomorrow. I mean, summer break after all. What else will I be doing? Psh, not working out like I probably should. So here you go! Happy Reading~**_

* * *

When Factions Collide

Chapter 5

Dinner passed all too slowly as I walked in late. How I wish Theo would have stayed with me so I didn't look like such an idiot walking in. Isaac had saved me a seat, smiling at me when I walked in. No one seemed afraid by me or looked like they were mad, only Adam and Caroline seemed to avoid me.

"What did Theo want, Wren?" Bri was sitting with us with Nathan.

"Oh he just wanted to tell me that I did well in training today."

"Well that's awesome! I know how hard it must be to transfer," she looked at all of us, "but coming from Abnegation has to be the worst. I'm glad you did well."

"Thanks, how did your first day go?" I asked, smiling politely. I wanted the subject not on me, lest anyone bring up my astounding feat.

"It was pretty boring, Peter was kind of bland today. Normally he has a bunch of stories to tell, trying to inspire all of us by Tris, but today he was very 'down and dirty'. Hopefully tomorrow will be more fun. We get to throw knives." she beamed at me, "I have my own that I can use. It's specially made for me. In fact, I have a whole set!"

"How long did it take you to save up for it?" Nathan asked. It was the first time I heard him talk.

"Oh, about four months, not too long actually." the two started talking in their own sort of group about Dauntless and knives and weapons. The rest of the group ate, talking a bit about how sore they were and the fights today. They tried to include me, but I felt ashamed of my actions. I also didn't know what we were going to do after dinner.

"Hey, Wren, you want to come with us to get tattoos or something? We have the time." Payton was the one who asked. I looked at Isaac, who nodded.

"I'll come with you guys. Maybe I can get Theo to tag along later." he got up, nodded at us and went to talk to Theo, who was discussing something with Peter.

We left the table and went to the recreational side of Dauntless, where there were shops, activities, and loud bustling groups of people. Payton and Mels went to the tattoo place, but I didn't want to do that quite yet. I needed to change my outward appearance before settling on anything so permanent. I wanted to start from the top though, so I went to the hair place they had there to dye it. The woman took one look at me, and asked me what I wanted.

"Something Dauntless."

"You're the Abnegation transfer. The first jumper. Like Tris." she seemed to recognise me. "I'm Abbi." she said. She seemed friendly. "I know what to do with you. Are you okay if I cut your hair?"

"Do what you want. I'm all yours." I started to feel my reservations slip away.

The next hour was a daze, as I just sat and watched my hair get chopped from my waist-length straight red hair to a wavy, burgundy medium cut. I felt empowered.

"The waves will be permanent until you ask me to change them. So will the colour. But you can change them at any time. How do you like it?" she spun me around. I didn't recognise myself. The blue of my eyes mixed with the paleness of my skin, the new burgundy waves framing my face, I looked brave. I even had bangs now.

"It's amazing."

"You love it?" she squealed.

"I really do. Can I touch it?"

"Of course, please do! Oh and," she leaned close, "Don't worry about paying for it. Isaac came in while you were getting dyed and paid."

"Really? He would do that for me?"

"He said it was a welcome gift. He's nice. He was in my year. We talked for a little bit, dated actually. We're still friends, of course, but we don't really have time to talk anymore. But you should keep him around. He's a great guy." she gave me a quick hug, and went to the back. Abbi was very bubbly and outgoing, a perfect fit for the Dauntless.

Isaac waited for me outside, taking a long look at me when I came out. His eyes grew wide and he gave an approving nod.

"I like it. It's a good change."  
"Thanks!" I laughed, "Why is everyone so nice, it shouldn't be like Amity."

"New initiates, and the people working in the shops are always the nicer people. Besides, Dauntless is back to their original values. It's not like how it was in the war. We're not battle machines, or even soldiers. We're protectors of the city. We should get you some new clothes. Theo will be around in about an hour. Official stuff. He's going to freak when he sees you." Isaac grinned, the smile spreading from his face to mine as well.

We walked to the clothing place, meeting Mels and Payton there. They got matching Dauntless tattoos on their arms, it looked pretty cool. They smiled when they saw my new hair, and even giggled a little bit. Isaac shook his head at the girlishness we all shared when they started touching it.

"Let's go get out of these frumpy things. Well, not for you I guess, but even you need to change with that hair." Mels took my arm again and led me in. it was a sea of black and gold, our two official colors.

I immediately saw a leather vest I loved with a sleeveless fitted shirt dress. Once I found leggings and boots to go with it, Mels made me go try it on. I came out and stood in front of the mirror, but refused to open my eyes. Payton came to the dressing room with eyeliner and other makeup. She wanted to make me over and herself as well. Once that was done, they forced me to look.

I didn't recognise the figure dressed so slick in the mirror. The black leggings clung tightly to my legs, making my behind look extremely good, for an Abnegation girl, I would say. The shirt-dress also clung to me, accenting my tiny waist and my lean figure, while the vest gave me a bit of coverage.

Theo appeared behind me suddenly, wrapping a necklace around me. It was a pretty gold chain with the Dauntless symbol hanging on a pendant. The four smiled at my transformation. I felt proud.  
"The new and improved you. I like it." he whispered into my ear, brushing my hair away from my face.

My face, my body, I didn't look like me anymore. I had said goodbye to the grey top and loose long pants that hid me, and I had opened up into these new clothes.

"How much can I buy with thirty credits?"

"Probably about enough for a week." Thirty credits was only a fourth of my allotted for the month, and I didn't think I would need to buy anymore for the month if I bought enough now. There were also the ones we were given, which would supply me as well. There were a few different styles of those that I could learn to mix and match.

Mels and Payton started getting me new things to try on, and I realized that I was able to pull a lot off. I ended up buying enough for two weeks, costing me half my credits, but it was worth it. I was going to make a new name for myself here, and this is where it started.

As the other two were starting to try on clothes, Bri and Nathan came up to join us. I had changed into a short black dress with gold fringe covering it in a few places, and boots. I felt Dauntless.

"Wow, not too shabby. Did you pick these out yourself, Stiff?" I knew her well enough now that the nickname was a joke, especially with the goofy smile she gave me afterward.

"A few of them, the rest were all the girls' picks."

"Well, it suits you." she punched my arm. I was still wearing the necklace Theo gave to me, as it looked good with the dress.

"Look at you, finally being a girl for the first time in sixteen years. Feels good to pamper yourself doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it really does. Hey, where did Theo go?" I asked. He was here a minute ago, with Isaac. Both of them were gone now.

"Probably official business with Peter, you know how that is."

Mels and Payton came out with a couple bags each themselves, wearing one of their buys, new shorts and a black tank top.

"Very simple, but very effective." Mels said to me. "We should probably put these away, then we can go and explore the place."

"Oh! I'll give you the official recreational tour!" Bri volunteered to be our guide.

"That'd be awesome!" Payton said excitedly.

The five of us went to the rooms, put our new clothing on the bed, and followed Bri out of the room. She started walking down the halls to where the other initiates were bunking, a bit better of a room than ours. We then followed her back to the recreational Pit, the one next to the dining hall, and she showed us around to all the shops where she knew the shopkeepers by name, and then we went up the spiral staircase at the edge to the upper Pit, where there were more activities, like a gym or training area, games, and other amenities that I didn't think Dauntless would have. That was also where the members all had their apartments and lived.

"Basically, the Dauntless believe in working your way up. Literally." she looked back at us as she grabbed Nathan's hand. "Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention, Nathan and I are dating." she just kind of brushed it off casually, letting us know and then moving on.

I had forgotten, people didn't just get married here. They actually had a life. Back in the Abnegation compound, I would have most likely gotten married to a boy that was in my year and lived quietly. Here, you could choose. I wonder if anyone would fall for me. According to Mels and Isaac, people already have, but having no experience, I was completely oblivious.

We passed by the doors that led outside, and I saw Theo and Isaac talking to each other, Theo going on and Isaac was waiting patiently to give his input. I wanted to go out and see what was up, but Bri took us into one of her favourite bars and we sat down to have a drink.

"There's no drinking limit?" Payton asked.

"Like alcohol?" we didn't even have that in Abnegation, it was considered too much of a self indulgence.

"Yeah, no drinking limit, we're the only faction that doesn't have one. Come on, I'll get you guys something light to start off with. My treat!" she grinned at us.

We sat and drank our mixed drinks, I couldn't remember the names she said, but I really enjoyed it. We had a little bit of bar food, what she called 'nachos', and those were really good too.

"The food here is amazing." I commented, mid bite.

"Try the chocolate cake next time. That's to die for." Theo came in and slid next to me, Isaac on the other side, giving him a look. "Anyone have the time?"

"Ten." Nathan said.

* * *

Two hours passed quickly as we all drank and talked. I was surprised I wasn't feeling lightheaded, but Bri said the Dauntless and the Erudite came up with a new alcohol that didn't cause any symptoms or hangovers. Well, at least with the mixed drinks. There was no substituting the heavy liquor, which is what the boys had. They had laughed at our mixed drinks, telling us to get a little more brave with our choices, but I happened to enjoy mine, so I laughed it off. Maybe another time.

We started walking around outside at midnight, trading storied of our old factions and our old lives, laughing and talking. I had almost forgotten about my earlier aggression today, but the pain still lingered in the back of my mind. I chose to ignore it, I was having too much fun. I seemed to fit this life perfectly, it was like I was made for it. But then, it almost felt too perfect. Something was bound to happen. Hopefully when it did, my friends would have my back. I was counting on it.

At around one thirty, we walked back to the rooms, walking Bri and Nathan to theirs and then to ours. Mels and Payton hugged Isaac and even Theo, and said goodnight. I gave them both a hug, but then I saw the two exchange a look. As Isaac left, Theo pulled me over to the side of the hallway away from the door and looked at me.

"You are amazing, you know that?" he brushed the hair out of my eyes. "What fate it was to meet someone like you, who knows what it's like to be someone like me."

"What do you mean?" I asked.  
"Wren," he took a deep breath. "You and Isaac are the only two who know. I'm Divergent. I'm like you. That's how I knew. That's why I've taken such a fascination, we're both so alike. And never have I found someone I can trust like you. And never have I found someone I care about so much like you."

"Well, you have Isaac. You care about him, don't you?"

"Wren," he laughed a bit breathily, then cupped my cheek and kissed me. It was sudden, and it was brief, or it felt that way, but it lasted a while, or it felt that way too. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, goodnight." he stroked my cheek once and smiled. I turned after he left and opened the door. I did not think that was coming so soon. I really didn't know what to do.

I saw Adam and Caroline sitting in different beds, both very tired, but also looking at each other, and then at me. Guess they just decided to check in for the night as well.

"Good job almost missing curfew. Jeez, what were you guys talking about? World domination?" Mels said jokingly. When I came over to the bed, I saw Adam look up at me, his eyes fixed on mine, sliding up and down, taking me in. "Uh oh, someone is interested." Payton commented. I shook it off. I wasn't used to so much affection, and I had only been here for a little over a day. But part of me liked it, or at least thought it was normal, enjoyable.

"Hold on, I'm going to change," I changed into the black sweats we were given as leisure clothing. I heard Adam go over to Caroline, who in turn started talking about me. I did not like her, and it was apparent that she didn't like me.

I got into bed, looked over at Payton, who was right beside me. The two had pushed their beds together, leaving mine in the corner.

"No, come over here. Wait, we'll come over there." Payton got up and she and Mels pushed our beds together. We were starting to get very comfortable with each other after such a short time, but spending every moment together did tend to make that happen.

"Now that's better. What were you and Theo talking about?" She whispered, noticing everyone else asleep.

"Nothing, he was just telling me tomorrow was long distance running. Told me I might not want to wear a dress."

"You were out there for fifteen minutes. There was more than that." Adam must have heard us, because he whispered across the room. He was holding Caroline in his arms as she fell asleep. I rolled my eyes at him, shedding more of what Abnegation was left. I had almost forgotten my home faction.

"Nothing really, just kind of made small talk. He gave me a hug and left. That was it."

"Boring." Mels said. "He seems either really scary or really mellow, and I don't like either, personally." she added, seeing my scowl. "He seems to like you though, you two would be a good match. I can put up with him, but only for you. Friendly enough, though." she chuckled, falling back on her pillow. "I'm going to sleep."

"Goodnight." I told her, and Payton and I did the same.

* * *

**_AN: MY SHIP! Oh my ship, you'll soon realise that I don't just ship this, I yacht it. You'll soon realise as well that romance is a new territory of writing. ANd the only reason I didn't really "Build Up" to the romance is because there are more important things to get to, like the crossover, you know, because that's why it's in the crossover section. So no, romance is early, but yes, there is a plot and I am pretty sure I know where I'm going:) Thank you so much for giving me a chance! Keep checking in, I know I will:D_**


	6. Chapter 6

_**AN: I have fun writing this! I'm glad a lot of you are giving me a chance to prove my worth, I promise it'll get even better. Like I said, the romance is going to be...romantic and the beautiful couple is beautiful to quote John Green, but I want to get to the actual plot of the story, so this is still kind of just background-ish. Have fun and Happy Reading!~**_

* * *

When Factions Collide

Chapter 6

That morning I woke up to the second day in the Dauntless compound in a slight daze of the day before. Payton and Mels were still asleep, but Adam was up, stroking Caroline's hair. I got up, took some shorts and a sleeveless shirt into the bathroom and got a shower. I decided to braid my hair today because we would be running. I changed and got ready for breakfast, which would start in thirty minutes. How I wasn't tired after yesterday was surprising, but I guess it would catch up to me later.

"Morning," I woke the girls up and got them out of bed, while I was doing my hair.

"What time is it?"

"Seven thirty." That seemed to get them out of bed.

We ran down to get a little breakfast, seeing Theo and Isaac sitting with Peter, probably discussing the day's plans. My plan of attack was to not make things awkward, basically reciprocating whatever Theo did. After last night, I wasn't so sure what would happen.

I sat down and got some protein again, especially for today. Instead of meeting in the training room, we were to meet outside. Thank goodness it was the beginning of summer, though, because it was going to be a nice day to run. We joked and talked a little bit, waiting until all the initiates came in, and the whole place started filling up at around eight fifteen.

"Good morning." Theo's hands sat on my shoulders, leaning on me.

"Oh, hey!" I smiled up at him casually and got up, ready to go.

"Wait, we're not done yet!"

"I need to talk to her, it's about ranking. Isaac will be waiting by the door." He took me in the hallway by the training room.

"Well, this is nowhere near outside." I commented.

"There's a path that runs from the training room to the outside. We'll be there before they will. Come on." he smiled at me, taking my hand. I was going along with it, having no experience myself.

We stopped in the middle of the path, and he leaned against the wall, just looking at me.

"I like what you did with your hair. It looks pretty."  
"Thanks. Now what's this about my ranking?"

"No, no," he laughed. "That was an excuse. I needed to see you, I wanted to talk to you." he smiled.

"About?"

"No, just talk. I wanted to just assure you that last night wasn't just a fluke, either, wasn't just me being a bit drunk. I know it might be a little awkward, and I also know that you've never been with anyone before. And I just wanted you to know that although we can't make it public right now, there is something there. Please tell me that you feel the same way, that I'm not making a fool out of myself." he looked concerned at the lack of emotion on my face. In reality I was dumbfounded.

"No, no, there is something there. It's just taking a while to feel because...I've never been with anyone before."

"Good. Well, good that there's something there, I mean. But good. I'm glad."  
"So nothing public?"

"Nothing during initiation or training. I will still be a little mean, push you a little bit, but I have to. Just know it's in good favour."

"I wasn't expecting anything different."

"Really?"

"I don't have many expectations. Any really."

"Neither do I. But Wren, I do care about you. And I want to be with you. And we will be. We are now, but only in private."

"I can do that, can I tell anyone?"

"I told Isaac, I would only trust Payton and Mels, not really Bri or Nathan yet, they might say something to Peter."

"Fine with me. Should we go outside?"

"Hold on," he took me into his arms and kissed me once. "Yeah, now we can." he took my hand and led me through the paths to the outside, where we split once again.

Mels and Payton were talking to Isaac when we reached them, and the rest of the group started congregating with each other as well. It seemed that even on the second day, groups within the initiates were still forming. It was Mels, Payton and I along with Isaac and now of course Theo tagging along, Caroline and Adam, who were very separate from the group, and the other five were off to themselves, just seeing who they fit best with. A girl, Erin, seemed to keep looking over, but she seemed nice, even coming from Candor. Tom seemed to stick by her, another Candor boy, but much more reserved than me, and who I never knew myself until now. The other three were trying to match our group's bustling activity, but I didn't really know their names. The only reason I did was because I watched them fight each other, and they seemed more reluctant than even Mels and Payton.

"Alright, so, we're outside the compound. Now that we have the open space, show me your speed. From here," he marked the bottom of the stairs to the entrance of the compound, "To there," he marked the poles to climb to the El, about fifty meters distance.

"Are you timing us?"

"No, warm up first, then I start timing." he said. This was the same route we ran yesterday, of course I would be fine. Theo wanted my confidence up again, I could tell. He didn't want what happened yesterday, although he did admit to kind of enjoying it.

"We have to warm up? How?" Caroline asked, speaking up for now.

"You're so smart, Erudite, figure it out." he snapped back at her. "Ten up and backs. Start!" he sort of coached us, and we all started. I was jogging, to keep my energy, while everyone else started sprinting. Payton observed what I was doing after the first lap, and Mels after the second, and followed my lead. Even Erin saw after she was half way done and slowed down. The rest of the group tried to keep up their speed to try to impress our trainers. I jogged back after I was done ten laps, going back to the beginning, and leaned against the railing easily.

"Easy," I didn't really need to catch my breath. The training was really starting to make me feel better, and my body was already starting to form a bit of muscle, which I thought would detract from my figure, but it actually added to it.

"Good, you're up first for speed, Stiff." he nodded me forward as soon as the rest of the group came back.

I stood on the stairs, getting ready run, hoping to impress everyone. I heard Caroline snicker to Adam, who pursed his lips a bit, knowing my speed. Again, it sent me into rage, which I knew would convert into energy, strength, speed.

"Ready. Go." he shouted, and I took off, faster than I was yesterday. Now that I was finally used to the running, and my gait, and my newly formed muscles, I had more power, and a lot more endurance, even with the slight burn in my legs.

I got to the end and slammed into the pole. Theo stopped the watch and looked up, extremely impressed.

"Five point two seconds. That's amazing." Isaac looked at the time, very impressed himself. Even I was a bit shocked, I didn't think I was that good. Maybe anger was my new friend after all.

"Caroline. You're up next." he said. She stood at the stairs, waiting for Theo to tell her to go. He waited, and waited, making her almost false start a few times. He waited about a minute, fumbling with the watch on purpose, waiting for her to mess up. "Go." he said, as she fumbled and tried to regain her speed. As soon as she reached the pole, she touched it and waited for her time. "Did you touch it?" he asked her, the time still going.

"Did you not see me? Wait, is my time still going? I touched the pole!" she sounded furious. She just had to beat me.

"Run by it and touch it again." he laughed silently as she huffed and touched it. "Seventeen point nine seconds." that was not a good time. She sulked back into Adam's arms and gave me a look that could kill. I should have been scared. Instead, I looked back at her, and a single laugh escaped my body. I grinned at her, Isaac standing next to me. She scowled, crossed her arms, and waited for Adam to defend her, which he did not.

"Adam," Theo called the next name. His time was about ten seconds. The next best from mine was Erin, who had about seven. Even Mels and Payton were about eight. By the time everyone was done, it was about nine thirty.

"You guys should take the time to stretch and get some water before the next part of training. Today we test your endurance. Thirty minute stretch and water break, because yes, I know, it's a bit hot out here today." Isaac directed the group towards water and shade, telling them how to stretch and what to do.

"You'll be running with us for the endurance test, right?" I asked Theo as we went to get some water.

"Yeah of course. I can't wait to actually talk to you, in public." he chuckled. There was a smile spread across his face as he started drinking.

"Isaac and you seem to have taken to the group, how are you with my friends?"

"Candor needs to shut up sometimes, but I like them. Bri, I've known who she was, and she's pretty cool. I like your group, and I want to spend time with it. It's hard being an official though. Maybe you could join me when you get initiated?"  
"Oh, but aren't there only three members?"

"Peter is dropping down next year, decided he wants to pursue the technical work. I think he just wants an excuse to be with Four, since they have the same experiences. That, and you remind him of Tris, and he would rather not think about that. So there will be a new spot open, join us." he bumped into me and gestured to him and Isaac. Funny, how everyone seemed to be reminded of my own role model. We become the people we worship, I suppose.

"I'll think about it." I walked a little faster, joining the group to stretch. I looked back at Theo, who was walking slowly, taking the chance to look at me. The way he looked at me, it was so, possessive. But not the bad kind of possessive. The kind that made someone feel safe, protected, cared about, admired. A sensual look, that made me turn around and giggle a little bit. Not Dauntless.

"Oh God, what are you two doing?" Mels asked me.

"What?" I asked, I still hadn't told them, I wondered if Isaac had.

"He _so_ likes you, gosh, Wren, can't you just see it?"

"Oh, guess I never noticed. Huh, well, what if I dated him?" Isaac overheard and gave me a look, eyebrows raised.

"Then that would be extremely ambitious of you. But I would so do it. I mean, I wouldn't personally but for you, do it. Get out of that Abnegation skin, and find out what's up, ask him out." she smiled. "I would match you two together in a heartbeat."

"What about you, Payton?"

"I like it, I think you two would be perfect for each other."

"Maybe," I pretended to consider. "But I couldn't during initiation, the others might think it's not fair."

"Then keep it private. Wait until after you become a member to start making out with him in front of Adam." she laughed. "I do not like him, or that girl Caroline. When you two were talking last night, they were talking about you, or at least she was, and it took everything out of me not to punch both of them. As it was, I yelled at him, and I kind of, well, cursed her out. A little bit." she put her head down in mock shame. "It was classy and dignified." she pouted.

"Alright, break is up. You have to get ready to run." Isaac started off, "We aren't testing for speed now. We're going to take you on a ten mile run, five up and five back, and we want to see how you do. Try to keep up." Isaac started jogging, waving the rest of the group on. Theo, I assumed, would hold up the back. So that's where I would stay.

"Go in the back with Theo, start talking." Payton and Mels ran up to Isaac, leaving me alone to wait for him.

"Mush," he started jogging alongside me, keeping up with my pace. I had done two miles, so I was pretty good. It was actually getting easier to do.

At the half way point, we stopped to take a five minute break, even Isaac needed it. I was breathing a bit heavily, but I felt good. Theo and I had started talking about my old faction, why I wanted to come here. It turns out we had the same values, something we found that Divergents kind of had in common. We didn't feel the need to fully change, rather adapt to different lifestyles, keeping our own sense of self with us. We laughed and joked a bit, but also ran in silence, trying to see how comfortable we really were. It was nice. I felt like I could be myself around him, after so long of having to think of everyone else, I could finally think about myself.

"So, what faction did you transfer from?" I asked when we started running again.

"I came from Erudite. I didn't like having so much competition when it came to intelligence. I was tested as Dauntless and Candor. I am very selfish, which is why I know I care about you. I can't possibly think about myself when I'm around you." He talked quietly, so that no one could overhear. We were about ten feet behind everyone as well, and they were all murmuring amongst themselves anyway.

"Well, I was never tested for Abnegation, you know that, but I prefer being selfish as well, so thank you." I smirked at him.

"You know, it's a lot prettier over here around sunset. And it's a lot faster by train. Maybe, I don't know, I could show you tonight?"

"Are you asking me out on a date, Theo?"

"Yeah, I guess I am." he kind of surprised himself a bit too. "Sorry, that was a bit bold, I can understand if-"

"No, I want to. I would enjoy it." I told him, and I meant it. We ran in silence the rest of the time, our looks telling each other exactly what we meant.

On our way back, at the half way mark, Theo pulled me over again.

"Did you tell them yet? I forgot to ask."

"They know something is up, but they think it's just on your end, with me being just friendly and oblivious, Abnegation."

"You should tell them at lunch. In fact, I'll sit with you. Would they be okay with it?"

"They wanted me to run with you, practically forced me to, and thought that _I_ should ask _you_ out."

"Oh, now where's the chivalry in that?" he joked.

"Dunno. But they would be fine. And they would keep a secret. In fact, they said the same thing you did. Keep it private."

"Glad to know I have their blessing." his eyes rolled.

We ran back to the entrance, a little past twelve. We would have an hour and a half for lunch, and then back to endurance training.

"Well, lunch should be interesting," I said as Theo held the door open for me.

"Let's do it." we walked down the stairs to the Pit.


	7. Chapter 7

When Factions Collide

Chapter 7

My life was never about romance. It never involved anything to do with me. No _real_ life. Not many friendships, no drama, no excitement. Nothing ever happened. Which is why I think I left. It was time to stop thinking about others and start putting myself first. It was time to change, to be different, to be brave. Normally, I would never have spent so much time worrying about Theo, or Mels, or Payton, or Isaac, or the rest of the initiates. I would try to suit them, but I wouldn't have cared about the friendship and closeness I have now with them. That was a Divergent thing, maybe a Dauntless thing. But now, that changed. I shed my Abnegation shin a long time ago, accepting I could never be one of them, but the minute I felt the change, it became all too easy to rebuild myself. And now I would need that courage.

"You never bothered to say anything last night...why?" Mels seemed almost hurt, but I knew she would get over it. I wasn't even the one who said anything. All of a sudden, Theo sort of just plopped down next to me and told them we were going on a date tonight, and then the questions started spilling.

"I didn't know how or even if I should say anything last night, and he just asked me today about going out." I harshly whispered. Mels scowled at me, crossing her arms and pouting a bit.

"I feel duped. I should have known! Secret relationships are always the easiest to spot. Guess my Candor senses are finally shorting out." she couldn't suppress a smile anymore. "So does this mean you two will be following each other around? Do I have to get used to the extra baggage with him around?" she joked at Theo.

"Not necessarily, and not all the time. It won't be public until-"

"After we're members, yeah, I know. That's what I thought too. He's good," she turned to me, "you can keep him. But if you hurt her," she snapped back at him, "I will kill you slowly and painfully. I'm so glad you two are together." she perked up after that protective mother hen speech.

"Well damn, Mels. Payton, hoping your follow up is better," Theo looked over, a bit taken aback by Mels but a bit amused as well.  
"Don't even try to hurt her. I'll help her. But I think I can trust you, so you're good. I'm happy, I really really am." she softened up, even squealing a bit when he squeezed my hand once on the table, quickly so no one else would notice.

"I've wanted to do that for a while now." he said.

"It's been four days since you've met me."

"Yeah, and those four days have been preoccupied by you." he looked at me, a very serious but loving look crossing his face. I was a bit stunned by that statement.

"Say something." Isaac whispered to me.

"He's truthing," Mels tried to lighten the mood. All I could really do was smile and look at him coyly. I couldn't think, let alone come up with a response that would match his. Romance was not my area of expertise.

Another hour passed by when Theo looked at his watch, looked at Isaac, and got up from the table. They went over to Peter to ask him his plans, discussed for a few minutes, then nodded to come outside.

"Okay," Peter said when we were all outside. Both groups were out there, and once we found that out, Bri and Nathan came over to us to say hi. "So, field trip. You've got to learn the area, so we're going to be teaching you the Dauntless paths of the city. Each of you, find a Dauntless pair up." There were ten of us, transfers, and fifteen of the Dauntless born initiates. I paired up with Bri, who really claimed me before I had a choice. She grasped my hand tightly and pulled me to the side. Nathan in return picked Mels, and another girl, her name was Merri, picked Payton. Five Dauntless were left, and they were told to just stick together because they already knew the city.

"So, your first task is to hop the train. No help, whatsoever. Then your guides will have instructions to follow from us about how you'll be seeing the city. Try to keep up with them." Theo gave out slips of paper to each pair.

We took off, sprinting and climbing up to meet the train. Mels and Nathan were the first ones up, with us close behind. They started running on the side of the track as they saw the train coming, Nathan in front and Mels behind. He grabbed the side of the train and pulled himself in, her following him, but not as graceful. Bri told me to go first, and I was able to catch the doorway, but my foot started to slip. I quickly regained balance as I got into the car, and stumbled to the other side.

"Good, good." Bri said. Each group had their own car, there were twelve cars to a train. "So, I'm starting you at the gates, and we'll work our way in. There are a bunch of tricks, tips and shortcuts I can teach you to help you out a lot. First one, when getting on the train, don't fully jump on. Grab on to the bar, pull yourself up and swing into the doorway. You get in faster and you keep your balance. Once you practice it enough, it just becomes second nature. We'll be the last stop, so if you wanna sit, go ahead."

"Yeah, sure." I took a seat on the edge of the train, looking out the doorway. She joined next to me looking at the sights.

"It gets so much prettier at night, Nathan took me out on the day before the Choosing ceremony."

"How long have you known him?"

"We just started dating a couple days ago, but we've known each other at least ten years."

"How did you know?"

"I don't know, it just kind of happened, no really formal, 'official' way about it." she sighed. "Do you see any future prospects, Stiff?" she asked me.

"Theo." I said bluntly. He said I could trust her now.

"As in you like him, or he likes you, or what?"

"We're dating, but it's kind of an under the table thing right now."

"Ah, don't want to piss off the other initiates. Well, I'll keep your secret. He's a genuine guy, I hope you know. And you're only his second relationship."

"Who was before me?"

"Last year, this girl was all over him, but he wasn't too interested. The only way he could get her off his back was to date her. Lasted about a week before he dumped her, she was pretty upset, but it got her to stop talking to him. Too bad it was only a week later, she threw herself off the chasm. Not out of the relationship, I mean, but she was just messed up."

"How well do you know Theo?"

"Peter is my older brother. He was their trainer." she said. "I know him pretty well, but he likes to pretend he doesn't know me. Because of Peter, and that stuff."

"What do you mean, Peter is your older brother? He came from Erudite."

"After the war, my parents and I snuck into Dauntless. They accepted us because they lost so many, so it was hard to keep track. They don't consider us transfers."

"Do they not know? Or do they not care?"

"I don't know, probably a little bit of both." she shrugged. "But I'm happier here than I ever was at Erudite. So that's all that counts. I always knew I would have been Dauntless no matter what. Hey, this is our stop." she got up. "Ready to jump?"

"Let's go." I watched her jump out, and I replicated her movement. We were by the gates, where the Amity workers were.

"And so this is where you would work if you were part of the protection part of Dauntless. Run with me and I'll tell you a few more things."

* * *

When we got back to the train to go back to the compound, I just wanted to sleep. I was so tired, but she showed me so many new and better ways to achieve what I wanted to do; become Dauntless. And we got closer. I really did feel like I could trust her.

"And if Theo ever tries anything, just let me know. I will tell Peter, and there will be consequences. Don't worry, Stiff, I got your back." she put her arm around my shoulder and hugged me close. I reciprocated immediately. We walked back to the station and started running. I wanted to try the new technique, so when the train came, I grabbed on, continued running, and pulled myself in. It was going to take a little more practice and muscle, but she was right, it was easier.

"Yes, Stiff!" that was her nickname for me. No one else used it around me except for her, well, and Theo for effect. It wasn't as derogatory when she said it, like when people used to say it to me in school. "I'm sorry, do you not want me to call you it? I keep forgetting to ask."

"No, it's okay when you do it, I actually think it's kind of funny that no one else says anything bad except for Caroline."

"Okay, but if it ever gets on your nerves, tell me."

"Will do." I sat down again, waiting for the train to turn into the next station, our compound. It would be about five minutes. "Thanks for teaching me, I'm sure that it wasn't really on your instructions."

"I didn't even think to use them, except for where I was taking you. But I like you, and I want to see you and I be best friends after initiation, so I want you in."

"Everyone seems more open, more accepting, just nicer than I thought."

"That was Four's doing. After the War, he changed all the rules, made it a better place. He didn't want to see anyone scared by their own faction. He wanted the factions to come together, at least at the interaction in each faction itself. He basically said we were family so we should learn to act like one. It made a lot of people realise how fucked up they were, and we changed. Now we're actually like family, and we treat each other like it. Faction before blood." she got up as the entrance to the compound appeared and jumped off. I joined her, landing smoothly on my feet. "It's still got the competitive edge though, I have faith that you'll make it through."

"Thanks." I said, and I meant it.

At dinner, Theo sat with us, already having discussed plans with Peter on the trainride back. Bri and Nathan, he allowed us to call him Nate now, joined us as well, and our little group could all finally be open with each other.

"Do you mind if we sit here with you? Our other spot got taken." A voice asked behind me. I jumped and straightened, tensing at the tone. Theo put a hand on my back to steady myself, and I turned around to see Adam and Caroline looking lost and almost a sympathetic look across his face, until he saw the hand on my back. Then he looked cross. By the look of it, he didn't realise we were dating, he was just angry.

"What?" Theo asked.

"You think you have any right to touch an Abnegation like that?" Adam asked, almost like he was trying to defend me from Theo.

"I'm her friend, trying to steady her from falling over. Of course I have a right if I don't want her to get hurt."

"What is she possibly going to be afraid of? Oh wait, that's right, everything." Caroline mocked.

"Listen," Isaac got up. "We would love to offer you the shirts off our backs, but I honestly think that you would do better with a parka," he said, referring to the very revealing outfit she wore. "I think that you should leave. Maybe throw yourself in the chasm and it would almost be like not wearing clothes." he insulted her.

"What did you say to her?" Adam growled, stepping up to Isaac.

"I'm calling this girl over here no good, especially not for Dauntless. How could she possibly contribute?" now he stepped closer, making Adam retreat a step. Now I stood in between them.

"Don't fight." I said to Isaac, pushing him back a little. He obeyed, but only barely, his hands clenched. "Listen, Adam," I said, slithering up to him, "I really would give you a seat, but you startled me. I don't think you want a frail Abnegation girl falling over in a Dauntless compound filled with several transfers, as she got hurt from being scared by an _Amity_ boy, now would you? I think you should find yourself another table, and stay away before someone gets hurt. And it won't be me. I don't break easily." there was poison dripping through my voice, enough to make both of them shudder and leave. Isaac sat down, and I stood, making sure they found another spot so they wouldn't come back.

"That was fucking brilliant." Theo looked at me, proud.

"Not so Abnegation, are you Stiff?" Bri gave me the goofiest smile she had, and all of them looked at me with reverence of what I just did. Even I got a bit of an adrenaline rush.

I sat back down and ate calmly and peacefully, listening to everyone exchange stories about the people they were with. Mels and Nate got stuck in traffic and decided to parkour it, and I laughed when they said they almost got the police called on them, because we _were_ the police, really.

Of course, I loved their stories, but I also wanted to lie down and rest. It had been a long two days, and I was starting to feel the fatigue set in. Theo looked over at me and saw my eyes starting to droop.

"Hey, you okay?" he stroked my arm for a short period.

"Yeah, no, I'm just kind of feeling the soreness of the training set in." I said, which was also true.

"Do you want to skip our date?"

"Oh! I almost forgot about that! No, absolutely not!" I jerked awake hearing that.

"I think I know something I can do to fix it, come on." he said, getting up from the table.

"Have fun you two, don't get hurt, be safe! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" were the replies coming from the table, not all from one person, but from all of them.

"Where are we going?"

"Where we went earlier, but by train, not by running." we climbed to go to the train, and hopped on. He sat down by the wall inside the doorway, and beckoned me to sit with him. I sat in between his legs, and he wrapped his arms around me. "Rest a little bit, I promise I won't disturb you, it's about half an hour." he kissed my hair and intertwined our fingers together. I fell back into him and closed my eyes, relishing the touch. I couldn't help myself and looked up at him, and I saw him looking back down at me.

"Watching me sleep?"

"Do you not trust me?"

"No, it's not that, it's just I don't want to leave you hanging." I said, the Abnegation selflessness coming back.

"Just rest for a little bit. I'm okay with the silence, I'm not a very good conversation starter anyway."

"That makes two of us." I put my head on his chest, listening to the sound of his breathing as the train moved on.

I never did fall asleep, I just kind of sat there, suspended in the euphoria of affection and swathed in Theo's arms, still wrapped around my waist. He was looking through the doorway, trying to find the perfect spot. It had only been about twenty five minutes, guessing from his watch.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked me, sensing my movement.  
"Didn't really sleep, I just had to close my eyes a bit. Thank you for letting me rest." I pulled him down and kissed him, feeling him smile as his lips lingered on mine.

"We're almost there, I really hope you like picnics."

"What?" I asked in surprise.

"Come on, jump with me." he took my hand and we ran out the door together, both landing on our feet. He led me to the lake, where our stopping point was earlier today. By the water's edge was the dock we stopped to rest at, and it was set up with a Dauntless blanket and chocolate cake.

"Theo, this is perfect. How long did it take you plan this?" I said. This was still a foreign concept to me, I had to do something to reciprocate for him. I didn't think he actually cared this much.

"I planned it right after lunch, when I was late to training. Wren, it's only been a few days. And maybe you won't believe me when I say this," he sat me down, "But I swear I'm in love with you. And I have never said that to anyone. I never thought I had the capacity to love, until I met you. I know you're probably afraid of hurt, rejection, and so am I. But I promise, I mean it, I am not just saying this." he opened the box and pulled out another necklace.

"This was my mother's necklace from my father, she gave it to me when she died during the war, saving my life and my father's. I want you to have it, to know that I will protect you forever. So you know you have my promise."

"It's beautiful." I started tearing up, which was not normal, I was never so sensitive in Abnegation. I never had the chance.

"Here, let me." he said, putting it on for me. It was snug around my neck, I knew I wouldn't take it off for anything.

"You're not as scary as you are at training."

"Yeah, I'm going to have to keep that act up, it's the only way to convince the others. Like I said, know that if I am mean in any way, it's not directed at anything about you." he kissed my cheek. "And if I hurt you, tell me, and I'll figure out something else. I'll always make it up to you." he started massaging my shoulders, trying to help the soreness.

"I don't think anything could beat right now." I said, leaning back into him. He stopped and looked at me as I turned back to him, bringing our lips together again. We both laid down on the blanket, looking up at the stars.

"I really wonder sometimes what's on the other side of those gates. I know we have the other cities, but what are they like? How big is this world?"

"You're such a Divergent. I love it. I love you." he said.

"You too," I smiled, not fully willing to say it back yet, but I wanted him to know I cared.

We sat in silence for the next hour, just forgetting about everything, about training, about the outside world, only wanting each other. It got a bit chilly out, and he gave me his jacket he had on to cover me with. Theo really wanted to make sure I was comfortable, something I have never seen in any relationship, not even an Abnegation one.

"Are you sure you came from Erudite? You're too selfless."

"Only to you I am, otherwise, I am anything but." he nuzzled his head in the crook of my neck, making me hitch my breath for a minute. "Sorry, is that uncomfortable? I don't want to do anything you're not okay with." he lowered his eyes.

"No, Theo, you're fine. It's just, this is my first relationship, I'm not sure what to do. Not really my division."

"You'll figure it out. I'm learning as we go too. My first relationship didn't go well either. It was supposed to be my last until you came around. I'm not too much a feelings oriented person."

"Neither am I. Glad to know we have that in common."

"Are you sure you're Abnegation? You seem a bit sarcastic."

"I always have been." I laughed.

We got up at around nine, going back to the trains, stashing the black picnic blanket in some bushes to be cleaned up later, if we didn't come back again later in the week. We hopped the train and instead of sitting with each other, we sat and traded different stories about our experiences here, and he told me about the other girl he was with. Bri wasn't lying about any of it, which was nice to know that he was telling the truth. When we got back to the compound, instead of going to the Pit, we went to the glass building where the apartments were.

"Do I get to see where you live?" I asked excitedly.

"Yeah, figure this might help with the soreness. You can sleep here too, if you want." he opened the door and escorted me in.

It was a lovely place, big and spacious for just one person. It was simple, but clean and fresh as well. It was nothing how I imagined it, but he was not how I imagined either.

"What do you think?"

"I really like it. I would love to stay here for a little before going back."

"The other necklace, the pendent is a locket. It has a key, I figured you might use it." he smiled sneakily.

"Wow, impressive, trying to bed me already." the sarcasm was taking over.

"Easy there, Stiff." he joked. He knew that I was getting more and more comfortable with him the more I joked, and I could tell it was the same for him.

"Hold on, I'll be right back." he said, going into the bathroom for a minute. He came back out wearing nothing but swim trunks, and handed me a suit as well. "I talked to Isaac beforehand, and he asked Mels what size you were. I figured this would be fine. Go change, if you'd like."

"Wait, Dauntless have pools or something? We didn't even get a luxury of a community lake like the one in the city. And even then we were only allowed once a week to go there."

"Wren, there's something about the Dauntless you should know. We _live _off of pride, courage, and indulgence. Of course we have pools, and jacuzzis. Just because we protect the city and seem, well, Dauntless, does _not_ mean we don't like to relax every so often."

I nodded, and went into the bathroom to change. He was right, the Dauntless lived to self indulge. Everything was gold or obsidian or granite in the bathroom, like royalty to me. It was definitely worth it. I changed and looked at myself in the mirror. The bathing suit was two pieced, but it wasn't so revealing as I thought it was going to be for two stringy looking pieces. It fit quite well, and it was certainly not what I was used to, but it wasn't so bad when I got used to it. I took a towel anyway.

As I walked outside to the balcony, I saw Theo already sitting, his eyes closed and face relaxed. I threw the towel to the chair, and stepped into the hot water. Theo looked up at me, and smiled, seeing my face relax as well as I let myself soak in the water.

"Wow, this feels good."

"Here, I can give you another massage."

"You do so much for me, Theo."

"I'm about to be really tough on you for the next few weeks, you deserve this right now." he kissed my neck, and rubbed my shoulders. Everything instantly loosened, and I felt calm.

"You pamper me. I could stay here forever."

"Spend the night, I promise they won't care about curfew and you being back."

"Wait, there's no punishment?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it." he was too good.

"You're not just trying to have sex with me, are you?"

"I have no expectations for sex. All I want is for you to be comfortable, and spend the night in a real Dauntless area, not just the crappy initiation room they force you to live in for ten weeks."

"Convincing. I don't know though, Mels and Payton will miss me. Maybe tomorrow, okay?" I kissed him hard, hoping that was enough compensation.

"Can't argue with that." he said after I pulled back. In the water, with our skin touching, it was so much more real, and instead of feeling afraid, I felt wanted, important. I felt beautiful.

"What time is it?"

"Only about ten."

"I want to go back by midnight, is that okay?"

"I'll walk you back then."

"Fine." I sighed dramatically, getting out of the tub, leaving him to pout. "What? I want to see how comfy that bed is." I laughed.

The next two hours were spent talking and laughing at stupid things we were both saying, actually speaking our minds without a filter instead of keeping our thoughts to ourselves. I wanted to stay, I really did, but I wasn't a rule breaker, and I didn't want to get in trouble. I also really did want to sleep, and although I would have actually slept here, the girls were probably waiting for me there.

"We should get going."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Theo, I had an amazing time tonight. It was so worth losing sleep on."

"Is that what you were going to do after dinner?"

"Yeah, probably."

"Well, anytime you actually need sleep, just come here. And Wren, take my jacket. You'll probably want it more than I do."

"Won't you be cold without it outside?"

"Nah, it's heating up out there. That, and you keep forgetting, I have others." he smiled.

"Alright."

"Just give it back when you want to, don't worry, I won't judge you." he said, talking about the smell, and I knew it too, blushing at the context of it.

We walked the halls, not gaining looks by anyone, which I was surprised about. It was kind of awesome, being Dauntless right now, and I couldn't wait to tell the girls about the date. But that was all I would give them, of course, I knew how to keep a secret.

"Goodnight, Wren, I'll see you in training tomorrow." he hugged me and kissed me for a long time. I didn't want to stop, but I knew I had to before anyone came down. "Love you."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Theo."

I went in the room to see Mels and Payton in there with Isaac, playing cards, the only three in the room, obviously waiting for me to get back.

"You're early!" Mels shouted. She noticed the jacket I had on that was not my own. "YOU HAVE HIS JACKET." she screamed and threw the cards in her hand everywhere.

"Tell us everything." Payton dictated as she sat me down in the bed. The three listened intently to my story of the train ride and the secret picnic.

"That can't be all" said Isaac. Of course he knew, he was the one who got the damn bathing suit.

"Well, I mean, we went in the jacuzzi in his apartment, but that was it."

"Whoa whoa whoa." Mels seemed shocked, and I blushed. "Wait. Hold on. You mean to tell me that Dauntless has hot tubs?" she totally ignored the fact that _I_ was in the tub with him.

"Yup. For the wealthy."

"Which jobs are wealthy?"

"Anything that's _not_ protecting the city. Like being a leader, diplomat to other factions or cities, and technical advisers.

"I'm so getting a hot tub." Mels said.

"At least you have your priorities straight." I said as I changed into my sweats. Somehow I didn't mind changing in front of Isaac. It's not like we were interested in each other anyway.

"Hell yeah I do. Candor had one community hot tub in the pool room. I want my own." she was very passionate about it.

"And on that note, I'm going to leave. Sleep well, guys." Isaac left the room as Adam and Caroline came in, laughing and holding hands. A few more came in about ten minutes after.

"Ugh. They sicken me." Mels grumbled nodding to the inseparable couple.

"And me and Theo don't?"

"You and Theo are perfect. And you're not that bad, you can actually stand to be away from each other. But they're just...after what they've done to you, I want to start throwing knives at him. He'd make a great target." she said, rolling over to fall asleep. "Goodnight, guys. I'll kill you if you wake me up anytime before seven thirty, Wren."

"Love you too." I said, as we fell asleep early that night.

* * *

_**AN: They're cute, I admit, I'm still not used to writing them. Hope you enjoyed, on to the next of the big five chapter chunk! Maybe I do have too much time on my hands...**_


	8. Chapter 8

When Factions Collide

Chapter 8

Third day of training. Knife throwing. Something I would probably not be able to do if it was like the gun situation. I wanted to throw a knife at Adam and Caroline right now. That was not the best thought to have first waking up in the morning.

Today was all about weaponry, actually; theory in the morning, hands on in the afternoon. I think since there wouldn't be much physical training, I would wear a dress. That's what the others were saying yesterday. We were all going to try to match today, and I might as well look deadly, because I didn't feel like it at all.

I was actually the last one up, but only around seven thirty. I woke up on the side of the bed to two pairs of blue eyes staring at me.

"Ah, God, what are you doing?" I shouted as I tangled myself in the sheets.

"Good morning, sunshine." Mels whispered creepily as I found my way out and got up, grabbing my dress and heading to the showers. I felt the desire to straighten my hair with the dress, because it was off the shoulder, and I was not used to having them bare. I heat dried it like Mels and Payton did everyday, rather than letting the waves air dry.

"If you like straight hair so much, then why don't you just get it cut?"

"Wait, is that what you did?"

"Yeah, didn't you know they could straighten and perm it?" Wow I felt like a girl by saying that.

"Guess I didn't quite figure that one out." Payton said blankly. "We're still matching, right?"

I shrugged. "If we look ruthless enough, then maybe we'll be able to aim." I reasoned.

The three of us went to breakfast, where everyone already was, and I felt like I was missing something. It started technically at eight, but the initiates got up earlier and earlier each day, surpassing me. We were the last initiates in the Pit.

"Hey Isaac, Theo." I said, sitting in my normal spot between them. Theo had to look blasé, but the look in his eyes betrayed his thoughts.

"You look nice. All we're doing is throwing knives." Isaac said, jokingly mocking my choice of clothing today.

"Gosh, just trying to look nice and all you do is put me down." I mocked back, faking hurt at his put down.

"Where are we meeting today?" I turned to Theo to give him a little bit of attention.

"Roof for theory, training room after lunch for practice. Felt like taking a little time outside while it's not too blistering."

"Fair enough." I ate quickly, wanting to get to training. I just really wanted to start the day, already feeling a bit uncomfortable in the dress, none of the initiates took the time to look nice, not even Caroline. Well, to look classy, if I was going to compare.

I got up after talking a bit and told them where I was going, and left, turning back to see Theo looking at me, not wanting to leave so early and look weird, but also wanting to follow me. I honestly just wanted to walk around by myself before heading up, get lost a little bit, try to stop the overwhelming feeling taking over. As much as it felt right, everything, I just didn't know what to do with anything. I fit in too easily, it was starting to scare me. I just needed time to myself, to figure myself out. I sat down against a wall on the path we walked yesterday, closing my eyes and breathing out slowly. The anxiety was getting to me.

Five minutes passed before I heard the voice. "You okay?" The footsteps came closer. I wanted Theo there, but I didn't really want to talk either. "I understand if you don't want to talk." he responded to my silence, "I'm sorry if I'm coming on a bit strong, it's just that I feel dedicated to you. And no, it doesn't feel like an obligation, I just am. I'm also sorry I blew you off at breakfast."

"It's not you." I said, looking sorry as I saw him sit down next to me.

"I know this isn't easy for you. Especially not with training and the transition. But I just want to make sure that you're okay. I'll try to stop hovering, but I hope you know if you need to talk, I'm here."

"Thank you." I took his hand, and our fingers laced together. It was easy being alone with just him. I could keep my guard down.

"You ready? We should go. Come on, let me show you the way."

We walked in silence, letting me have my space.

"Thank you, for being fine with my crazy mood swings. I'm not normally like this. Actually, I'm not sure what I'm normally like. Still figuring that part out."

"Take your time. I remember transitioning. Don't freak out, it'll come to you." We came to a set of stairs leading us to the roof.

"You go first, it'll look weird coming together everyday," he stopped and waited for me to go. I opened the door and walked out into the humid air. It was going to rain soon, I could tell. Now I was glad I wore the dress, it was short and now it felt comfortable in the air. Too bad it was black, soaking up the sun's heat.

I went over with my little group and a couple minutes later as Isaac was explaining, Theo slipped through the door, staying in the back. He walked out with a stern look on his face. I almost forgot how deadly he could look.

"Today is all about weaponry. Since most of you will be in the protection jobs, you should pay close attention to this lesson. Of course, you should all pay attention, this isn't just for the sake of knowledge. Most of you should know how to use these, and not just how to shoot a gun, but throw knives, throw a punch. We teach you this so you can not only do your job, but protect others as well, and protect yourself. It's what makes us Dauntless, although I personally believe everyone should know this kind of information. Maybe I'm biased." he delved into the theory of each weapon, and as much as I tried to pick things up, it wasn't working too well. I just kind of waited until it all clicked. Once he started getting to the smaller guns, I perked up and started to understand. Right, so I wouldn't be lugging around a huge machine gun by the gate, but I could easily conceal a handgun and a knife in my vest at all times. And I would know how to work them.

One girl piped up after he was done the gun section. "Will we be learning poisons and antidotes?"

"No. That's malicious intent." he walked over to her. "Dauntless are not malicious or cunning. We're here to protect people, not to torture them." Isaac moved on to the next section, knives. There were several different kinds, I just kind of assumed that a knife was a knife. But the way he demonstrated each one, there were daggers, but also survival knives and the butterfly knives, of course the throwing knives, and a Bowie knife, a type of combat knife. My favorite so far was the Ballistic knife, because it was detachable and could be shot, sort of like a bullet.

"You'll be using throwing knives today after lunch to practice on, but of course there will be other knives you can carry around or you may need. My suggestion is to always keep one on you, because there are always people that can jump you. Anyone is lethal if in the right situation. And if you become part of the protection agency, you are responsible for other people's lives, which means you need to have a means to protection on you at all times. Break." he said. I looked over, had it really been that long? I guess I was really into it.

"You seemed really interested, Wren," Mels took notice. "I think I want to be a full time trainer. It sounds fun, and I get to scare people and throw knives all day. What about you guys?"

"I want to go into the leadership, because Peter is leaving and I think they could use someone to represent the women. We were never really represented in Abnegation."

"I want to work with the technical advisers. But I'm not sure quite yet where." Payton said.

"You know, for being so scary," Mels dramatized her movement when talking, "Theo sure did let Isaac talk about the weapons."

"Yeah, but he likes doing the hand to hand combat, which I think is tomorrow again."

"That's true. Guess Theo is the more fist fight guy while Isaac is the bring a gun to a fist fight guy."

"Probably tag team it." Payton chimed in.

We walked to lunch and started stuffing ourselves. I was starting to feel a lot better, knowing now that everyone was starting to change to fit Dauntless profiles. I thought I had just taken extremely well, but even Payton was starting to lose the constant update for information. I saw her get a bit antsy during the session, when I thought she would be dying to know more. Turns out, I was the one most interested. Call it the Divergence peaking through, but I have never been more excited to learn anything.

"I can't wait to start actually practicing the knife throwing part, sounds fun." I said, and everyone at our table looked shocked, with the exception of Bri. Theo and Isaac probably wouldn't have been either, but they were with Peter right now.

Erin, the girl who was always with Tom, looked at me very strange. She sat next to our table, and heard what I said. I kind of looked at her strange as well, replicating her look.

"I'm so glad someone feels the same way!" she said, excited to finally be talking to me. I sighed in relief, I thought she was going to take to hating me as well.

"Really? You're from Erudite too, right?"

"Candor, but I'm too quiet for it." she and Tom scooted over to our table, getting away from Caroline and Adam. The other three left them to form their own group, I supposed, leaving them to a table with the other two.

"Sorry, I should have asked, can we join you guys? I would rather not be stuck with them." she motioned over.

"No, you're more than welcome," Payton invited them over. "Are you two together?"

"Oh, no, I'm gay, actually." she was very pretty, short brown hair and a nice voice as well. I thought we would get along very well. "I space out a lot though, not fit for Candor or Erudite. Strangely enough, the test made me choose Dauntless. But I'm not disappointed by it at all."

"What about you?" Mels asked the boy next to her.

"I'm from Candor as well, we've been friends for years, but all these guys keep coming up to her, and she doesn't want that kind of relationship, so I tend to stick by her. I'm not gay though, I'm just not looking for anything right now."

"Oh, well, that's really nice of you two to stick together." Mels seemed very accepting.

Our group expanded and the seven of us sat and talked, and kept getting annoyed looks from Caroline. Adam was trying not to focus on us, on me, but he glanced past casually as well. She really hated me.

"Who even is that Caroline girl?"

"She's pretty, I'll give her that." I said, shrugging. They all looked at me.

"She is _not _pretty. Well, not in a good way. You're pretty. She's just what we would call a slut." Erin clarified.

Mels leaned over. "Hey, if you're Candor, how have I never seen you two around?"

"Dunno, guess we just never crossed paths."

Lunch was beginning to end as people started exiting, Bri left early with Nate to go to their training, they wanted to get a run in before Peter came. It was only the five of us left of our group, and as the members started exiting the Pit to go on with their jobs and daily lives, so we followed down to the training room.

I walked in, Mels, Payton, Erin and Tom behind, the two girls giving me space and time to talk to Theo a little bit, and I walked in to see him and Isaac setting up a rather hefty collection of knives.

"These are just basic throwing knives." Isaac said, throwing one in the air and catching the blade. Theo shook his head at him an gave me a quick hug before anyone else walked in.

"All right, find a target, grab a knife, and pay attention. We'll only be demonstrating this once."

Everyone walked in and looked at the knives nervously. Erin and I were the first two confident enough to pick up a set of knives and stood next to each other by the targets. Adam and Caroline stood next to us before Mels and Payton could get there. I glared at him, hoping he got the message. I tossed a knife in the air, emulating what I saw Isaac doing, and caught it, blade first. Theo and Adam looked over at me and at my hand. I had caught it perfectly.

"What was that?" Adam asked.

"I...I don't actually know." I was dumbfounded myself. "I saw Isaac doing it and I wanted to try."

"That could have gone in a completely different direction, Wren." Theo chastised me, but I could have sworn I saw the faintest laugh of astonishment cross him as well.

"I'll demonstrate." Isaac got the attention of the room on him, standing at the middle target. I watched him closely, hoping to glean the movements from each throw. His arm came back and the wrist movement was the most important thing I gained.

"Now you try. I want to see how accurate you are before our next challenge." this seemed like Isaac's territory, as Theo basically stepped back to let him have all the fun teaching.

I picked up the first knife and turned it over in my hand. Everyone else had started shooting, but only Erin hit the target once in the leg. I saw the movements in my head, and I visualised myself doing those same movements. I took a step forward, rocking on my feet, and threw the first knife. It didn't land right where I wanted it to, but it stuck in the chest, which was close enough to the head on the first try. Caroline looked at me with fierce enmity, throwing her knife. Unfortunately for her, her bark was worse than her bite, because she totally missed the target. The second knife was better than the first one for me, landing in the neck of the target.

"Well, you may not be good with guns, but I think knives will be a good weapon for you." Mels shouted from two targets down. I was proud of myself, I found something I was good at that didn't require me to be angry. In fact, it was kind of relaxing. I liked doing it.

About an hour later, when everyone else finally started hitting the head, Isaac announced the next competition. It was about accuracy and precision. I went to my target, got the knives, and started throwing. Not only were mine accurate, at the head, but they were also extremely precise, gathering in one place. Erin wasn't that good, but she was close. She got them all by the head, but none of them were accurate.

"Precision is different than accuracy, you'll discover."

"What's the difference?" Tom asked, strange hearing him talk.

"Precision is how many you get in a specific area, like Erin. All around the head, in the same place. But accuracy is getting it in the _right_ place, like Mels." she had about two of the knives in the middle of the head, where the bull's eye was. "But Wren, Wren has both precision _and_ accuracy, a rare feat." he walked over to me as I threw the last knife, everyone looking. My hit was so good it knocked another knife out and stuck in its place. "I think she wins this one."

"Oh well isn't she just so good at everything," Caroline whined. She picked up a knife and threw it at the target, but it missed completely, bouncing off. "I just wish I were as good as her, the little _Stiff._"

"Hey!" Theo shouted, "let's see how brave you are, because I bet she's ten times as brave."

"Yeah? How are you gonna test that theory, push me off a rooftop?"

"Stand in front of her target."

"What?"

"Go, do it." I remember a story about the old Dauntless, when Tris was put in front of the target. I wondered if it would be the same here.

"Wren, throw the knives."

"What?"

"Go for it."

"No, Theo, I can't"

"If you don't, then I will." I glowered softly, not wanting to be mad at him but also not wanting to hurt anyone.

"What i I miss?"

"Then we're down an initiate. Oh well."

"Fine." I picked up the first knife, aiming it above her head. It stuck. Definitely like what happened to Tris back when she was alive.

"You can get closer than that. I know you have the accuracy."

"Theo, don't encourage her like that." Isaac said. I threw the second knife. It hit in between her fingers. The third knife got between her shoulder and her neck. The last knife split her hair.

"You flinched the entire time. You're not brave enough. You don't trust your fellow initiate. I'm disappointed."

"Well I wouldn't trust anyone who throws knives on her first try perfectly."

"Something called talent, sorry you wouldn't know." Theo shot back, and left the room. "Dismissed." he shouted, ending the session early.

* * *

_**AN: I freaking loved the knife throwing and Four and Tris in Divergent, there was literally no way that I couldn't put that in. So I mean, yeah, had to put that in, of course I tried to change it up a little bit. If you think everything's going smooth now, you're wrong.**_


	9. Chapter 9

When Factions Collide

Chapter 9

I didn't care what people would think of us, I ran out the door after Theo. I couldn't just let him leave without figuring what was wrong. He seemed more than furious at Caroline, it had to be a built up anger for something else but me.

"Theo, wait up." I joined up. There were tears streaked down his face in anger, not sadness. His face was red and his fists were clenched.

"I'm sorry, Wren, I shouldn't have done that." he stopped and hugged me, his face in my hair.

"No, no, it's okay." I said, trying to be comforting.

"No it's not. I should have stopped myself. But after everything she did to you,"

"Theo, I have a feeling it's more than what she did to me."

"Let's go back to my place."

We got to the apartment and sat down with two cups of tea. "She's the sister of the girl I dated last year. The one I couldn't stand. Both from Erudite, transferring to Dauntless. I knew them both back in Erudite, the reason the other girl transferred was because of me. She wasn't meant for Dauntless. I didn't like her at all, but I had to get rid of her. Caroline joined because of her, most likely. And the girl last year hated Abnegation. She was raised by someone on the opposing side during the war who lived through it. She's one of the old Erudite. I couldn't stand her sister and I can't stand her, especially after her saying those things. I had to so something, I couldn't just stand there. I'm sorry."

"What you did was sort of like before the war, though."

He laughed. "That was always one of my favourites, Peter told me what happened in his year, and it just kind of happened to be what I chose to do. I was amazed at your skills, and I wanted her to break."

"I think you did a good job of scaring everyone else, but I don't think you did a great job of scaring her."

"I have more up my sleeve, don't worry. No one is going to hurt you here, I'm going to make sure of it."

"Don't send her to the chasm either, Theo. I don't want her dead."

"No, I wouldn't do that. I didn't want that to happen to her sister either, but I want her to know not to mess with you."

"I love that. So protective."

"Only of you." he put his cup down and stood by the window. It was starting to rain, so dark for the middle of the afternoon. "Feels like midnight right now, only three." he sighed, looking out the window.

"Why did you dismiss us early though? You could have just left."

"I was planning on the storm coming, so I wanted to dismiss early anyway. This was just kind of a good excuse to, the emotional work up. I wanted to give people the time off while it stormed, it's always really fun around here when it storms. I feel like a storm right now."

"Don't, okay?"

"I kind of feel like a monster, I hope I still haven't scared you off from this morning."

"I'm starting to feel a lot better. You're not scaring me off. But this might be a little forward of me," I paused, he raised his eyebrows. "Do you have sweats I could change into? I want to get out of this dress." we both started laughing as he nodded. "Thought it was going to be something good." he smirked and threw me some clothes. "They're going to be big on you."

"I'm going to look frumpy? Darn, not like I've been used to that before."

"Shut it," now this was the boy I knew, the one to joke around with, the one I could be comfortable with. I loved that we could put smiles on each other's faces within seconds.

I went into the bathroom to change, finally peeling out of the dress. It was so tight, and black in the sun was not fun. I was sort of glad to be in something loose, and to be honest, they weren't as baggy as I thought they would be, they felt like the sweats I wore at night.

"How do I look?" I faux modeled when I came out. He was sitting on the bed, reading a book that he must have gotten from a store here. I was surprised to find that the Dauntless had books, considering that was an Erudite thing, but they did, and I figured it was more for leisure. But who wrote them?  
"What is that?"

"I get curious sometimes and actually read. I may not be Erudite, but I _am_ Divergent, and I like to read."

"A book nerd, I'm dating a closet book nerd."

"You love it though."

"Only because I could be tested for Erudite." I sighed and sat next to him. "Where do these come from?"

"Erudite write some, and others come from the other cities. This one comes from the city of what would have used to be Annapolis, it's a whole selection of stories about the past of America."

That was where we lived. America was the country, and we had five major cities, with the Capitol in the middle. Chicago, Annapolis, The Big Apple, which used to be called New York, I once heard, Denver, and Los Angeles. We all surrounded a big Capitol in the middle, called just that: The Capitol.

"What's it saying?"

"It's going through the history of the old country, starting from the seventeen hundreds."

"That's six hundred years ago."

"Yeah, but it also says that there were places that were around for thousands of years too, it says we're pretty young, even now."

"Do the authorities know you have this?"

"I _am_ the authority." he puffed his chest out. I yawned a bit, drained from the theory today, and from the knife throwing. "Do you want to sleep a little bit?"

"I got seven hours last night, I should be fine. I don't know why I'm so tired."

"Everyone is probably taking the chance to sleep right now, Wren." he closed the book and turned over to me. "Rest a little bit." he pulled me closer to him, keeping me warm. I sighed a little, starting to give in to sleep.

"What about you?"

"I think I'll either watch you, or read, or maybe sleep myself." I turned to look at him, his eyes were closed as he said it. He opened one. "What?"

"I don't know, I just like looking at you." I smiled seeing the sleepy grin on his face. "I think I'll take you up on your offer. But we'll have to leave before dinner, or I'll at least have to change to make it look like I was just doing something else, not with you."

"People know we're friends. If anything, I can get Isaac to walk down with you and I'll come in late. He's across the hall. Sleep." he brought my hair behind my ears and wrapped his arm around my stomach. "We'll be up by six, I promise" he kissed my neck as I fell under.

* * *

I woke up before him, and I turned to see the clock, looking at him for a minute. He looked peaceful, younger. Everyone does, I suppose, but here, he was a different person than who he was during training.

"Theo," I nudged him awake, looking at the clock. "we're late for dinner, Theo."

"What time is it?" he grumbled and turned over, stretching his arms.

"Seven thirty."

"We can eat outside the compound."

"Where?'

"I know a place."

"A place for Dauntless or a place for public?"

"Place for public use, a night on the town as you might put it."

"I've never been in town for fun."

"Of course not." he got up and took his shirt off, changing into a nicer one. "Get changed into that dress again. It's a bit fancier in the city than it is here. Candor and Erudite go out a lot."

"Really?"

"Yeah, because we're adventurous, but they're all classy. Sophisticated fun. Not the most fun kind of fun, but it fits their lifestyle."

"They're also pretentious."

"They're pretentious assholes and their life fits it." he responded, smirking at me.

I got my dress and took off the sweats. Somehow, it didn't bother me much to change in front of him. I felt secure enough to know nothing was going to happen to me. He didn't even look around, trying to find a nice pair of jeans for himself.

"Won't anyone stop us from leaving the compound?"

"Free time is your own. Remember, you still have freedom. Besides, when you actually have a job here, you go out all the time. That, and you're going with an authority."

"People might talk."

"You'd be surprised. I'm not too well known besides being a leader here."

"How private do you want to be?"

"Just with the initiates, really. And most of them will either be on the train or in their room. Or some will be so focused on each other that they just won't care. It's not even like Peter will be able to dictate my life either. All I know and care about is that I want to be with you." he tilted my chin up and kissed me with chaste. "Ready?"

"You're so smooth, it's like you_ are_ seducing me." I joked, reminding him of one of his earlier statements.

"Now, if I were trying to seduce you, I would have already had sex with you, and you would be begging for more. Nah, I'm not trying anything, Wren. I'm not Adam."

"Our second date, Theo, you do pamper me too much." I walked out into the hall where I saw Isaac going into his room.

"Theo! Where were you?"

"Resting."

"Where are you going?"

"On a date with Wren, where else would I be going?"

"Out in the city? Nice. Look, none of us were mad today. I didn't tell Peter either. Don't worry. But have fun, you two, you're gonna love it." he said to me, knowing that Abnegation didn't really do much in town, we had no reason to.

"Maybe you should get a date and join us sometime." I suggested. "Abbi seems really nice."

"Nah, not looking actively right now."

"Well, maybe one day." Theo took my hand and we left.

"Why did you put Isaac off?" I was curious to know.

"He would have tried to strike up a conversation, don't really feel like doing that with him right now. He would have talked about what happened, he'll never be able to cover up his lies. He's not mad, no, but he's disappointed. We'll deal with him later."

"I'll try to help." we were outside the compound now, and took off to the train. I hopped on with even more ease than the last time, Bri was right about practicing.

"I'm impressed with what you've picked up."

"Thanks." I smiled proudly at him. We were suddenly aware that we were not alone as I turned to see Adam and Caroline.

"Of all the people to be trapped with." he whispered to me, his brown eyes getting blacker.

"Who let the Stiff in here?" she glared at me.

"Don't say anything." I whispered to both Theo and myself, sitting against the wall.

"I really just want to see her out of this faction, I want to see her fail. Is that a bad thing?"

"Stop, just try to stay calm."

"Wren," Adam looked over, "what are you doing here tonight?" he tried to make conversation.

"Theo is escorting me to see my Abnegation family. He's never been to the faction and wanted to see my origin." I lied easily.

"It's not much to see, trust me." she looked over at Theo, "Neither is she, really, but I'm glad that you try to put up with her, the rest of us find it so hard to stand Abnegation for more than two minutes without being totally disgusted." she shot at me.

"That's it." I got up and stood by the doorway, almost making it seem like I was going to throw myself out. "I don't believe I asked your opinion on the matter." I stated, venom poisoning my voice. Oh, I was past angry now, she wasn't getting away clean. The Abnegation was _gone_. "In fact," I continued, "I don't think that I asked you to talk to me at all. So I would appreciate it if you sit down and shut up."

"Wren," Theo cautioned me. I walked over to Adam before we had to jump.

"I think you shouldn't have even been in Amity, too bad you were born there. Both of you should have stayed where you belonged. If I say my own opinion about it, I would put you with the factionless. But since you chose Dauntless, do me a favour, stay the hell away from me."

"Wren, I-"

"No. Don't hit me with the guilt, the Amity friendship. I don't care. Stay away from me. We're not friends. We're initiates." I jumped off the train, the tears finally escaping, I held them in to look strong. I saw the city within walking distance, it looked so pretty at night, unlike what I felt like, a wreck. I heard a yell, and then I heard Theo behind me. I turned away so he wouldn't see how red my face was.

"Wren, " he turned me around and wrapped his arms around me tightly. "It's okay. We can walk from here."

"I'm sorry, that just kind of...happened. Do I look bad at all?"

He chuckled and kissed me again. "You look amazing."

I put on a brave face, took his hand, and followed him to the bar. We walked in and found a table, trying not to disturb the rest of the people here, as we were the only two Dauntless in a room full of Candor and Erudite.

"I'm just curious, who cooks, if this is sort of a faction bar? Do volunteers or-"

"The factionless. Rather, the Divergents. They get the better jobs than the ones who actually fail out of a faction."

"So we could have been stuck working here if we had not chosen to fit in with Dauntless."

"Better than begging from the Abnegation though."

"So glad I chose Dauntless."

"Me too."

"I don't know how I'm going to last another day in training, let alone ten weeks, let alone if they both stay."

"Maybe they'll get sent away."

"Maybe."

I knew what he was referring to. After the first war, the other four cities started the tradition of a competition. We weren't involved because we were the experiment city. After our Second War, we were brought to join the other four, and got caught up in the tradition of the Hunger Games. It was a reminder that a central government would keep us right, and as a tradition to serve that reminder, we sacrificed four youth from each city to compete. Two winners were chosen each year, and were the Children of the Capitol, prizes for the factions who won. I never liked the concept, but we had to please the Capitol. Besides, it wasn't like they got out of it, they had to pick four youth as well.

"What have your thoughts been about that, since I'm not the only Divergent." I said lowly as we got our food and our drinks.

"I never liked them, but I think it's a necessary evil to maintain our relative freedom."

"So I'm not the only one who doesn't like them?"

"There are several in even the Dauntless compound who don't like them. You're not the only one, and no, it's not just because of an Abnegation response."

We ate, a regular bar meal according to Theo, I wouldn't know. But he was right, it was really good food. The Erudite and Candor kept glancing over at us, but we tried not to laugh too much. We were just living the Dauntless life, and after we were done, we just went through the city, walking-more like running-through the parks. I knew what Theo was trying to do, he was trying to show me real life. He wanted me to know what freedom felt like. I loved it and I craved more. Since the Candor and the Erudite were mostly the two who lurked in the city, they all kept giving us the strangest looks as we ran, but I didn't care. I was happy, laughing as I ran. I was even fast enough to get ahead of Theo once or twice. It was nice with the new Dauntless rules to not be stuck here all the time, because from stories I heard about Tris' time, the Dauntless really sucked, honestly.

It was around eleven when we decided to head over to the trains, and Theo took me by the waist, showing me off to everyone. We passed by the Abnegation compound, and I looked over, guiltily and a bit wistfully.

"We can go in if you want."

"No, no, I'm fine."

"Renata?" a voice on the edge looked over at me. It was my mother. "Renata, that _is_ you." she started coming over.

"It's just Wren now, Mother." I said bashfully, looking at the ground.

"Wren. A perfect name for someone as Dauntless as you." she took me into a hug, something that the Abnegation would not normally do.

"Why are you hugging me? Mother, you should be in the house, you could get in trouble."

"Nonsense, I was picking up trash at the end of the street. The neighborhood knows I do that every night."

"Why?"

"I get a little lonely, as you're gone and your father is picking up extra work."

"Why?" I asked again.

"One of his workers is ill and he took up the job, the selfless man he is." she sounded proud, but her face was stuck in the Abnegation resignation. "Who is this?" She finally noticed Theo standing there.

"This is Theo. He's one of my trainers." I looked at him to ask if I needed to say more. He nodded, telling me it was okay. "We're dating, sort of. Well, not too publicly. But we're together."

"Do you like the Dauntless compound?" she asked, being selfless because she talked about herself too much.

"It's the greatest thing. I miss you guys, of course, but I fit there. I feel like I belong."

"That's all that matters."

"How is Father? Is he upset?"

"After the first day, he started getting used to you being gone. Then when he took up the other work, he's been out of the house more and more. Always back before nine though."  
"I hope you're doing well." I smiled, a bit sad and guilty.

"I'm glad to meet you, such a lovely woman." Theo walked forward, shaking my mother's hand.

"You're seeing over my daughter?" he nodded and she whispered something into his ear. He nodded back again and she hugged him. "He seems like a lovely man. I'm glad you have him protecting over you."

"I'm learning to protect myself, you know."

"I know, but still, it makes me feel better, selfish as it is."

"No, of course not." there was a lull in the conversation.

"I better get back, they'll want me to be in by now. Goodbye, Wren, Theo." she went to the compound as we walked back to the trains.

"What did she say?"

"Oh it was nothing, she just wanted to make sure that there was no corruption, you know, the last time something like this happened."

"Right, Tris and Four and the Second War outbreak."

"She's just taking precautions." we got onto the train. I didn't even think about what I was doing when I did it, a nice feeling.

The train was empty this time, thank goodness, and we stood, looking out the door to find the compound. It was nice not having to constantly reaffirm our feelings for each other, not having to constantly touch each other. We were secure enough in our relationship to know our limits. I was comfortable with him and he was with me. A lot of the Dauntless relationships I've seen were like that, except for the Amity and the Erudite.

Back inside the compound, people were still bustling around even at midnight. Actually, in the Pit, there seemed to be a few competitions going on, as laughter and screaming echoed to where we were standing. There were children running around, shooting each other with little plastic pellets, which normally I would have been scared for them, but now it was considered normal.

"Must be that time of year again. I'll start playing tomorrow."

"Playing what?"

"Festival. Card game festival."

"What do you mean?"

"I know you've never heard of it, but there's a few games we like to play called 'slap games'. You slap in to play and most of the time they last hours, no real winner. So we have competitions every year around this time to play, and most of the time they're elimination rounds. It's sort of, however morbid it is, a pre-Games tradition. It's been going on since it started, five years back. You just grow used to it."

"That sounds really cool."

"I'll teach you tomorrow, if you want."

"When are the games this year?"

"Right after initiation, actually, another about ten weeks give or take."

"Hoping none of us get picked. I've spent the last three fine, hopefully it'll keep up. Then again, that's the same thing I said about being Divergent. I'll shut up then." They start picking at thirteen, when kids start the upper levels of school.

"Good idea, let's go find Isaac, we all need to talk."

"That sounds like an excellent idea." I echoed.

* * *

_**AN: AND SO IT BEGINS! Hunger Games time! Still, I kind of like writing drama, hope you're up for it and along for the ride, because I'm planning on it being a lonngggg one. Thank you, again, for keeping up with my crappy writing, because I as well know that OC is hard to read and it's hard to write and I just wanted to try my hand at it and now I'm dedicated and thank you for supporting me:)**_


	10. Chapter 10

Divergent Meets the Capitol

Chapter 10

"Isaac! Wait up!" Theo yelled to the tall mass about fifteen feet in front of us.

"Theo! How is everything? How did the date go? Tell me all about it." he talked as if I wasn't there. It occurred to me that he didn't happen to look down. "Oh, Wren. Actually, _you_ tell me! Sorry, I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean to ignore you."

"Let's go to the room." Theo said, nodding at me, but also letting go of my hand, just in case.

"Yeah, mine or yours?"

"Probably mine would be better." the three of us started roaming the halls, I was starting to get a good sense of direction to his apartment area.

"So, how did everything go?" he sat down in one of the chairs, Theo and I on the couch together. Isaac seemed really thrilled to see us together.

"You seem very happy tonight, what's up with you?" I picked up on the intuition I was getting. Something either went really well or really bad and either way he was covering it up.

"Well, I took your advice. I got a date."  
"GET OUT! WHO?" I started yelling.

"Well, it's Mels. We just kinda started talking and I kissed her. She seemed to like it, so it just kinda happened."

"Are you happy?"

"Overjoyed. Too bad we're gonna have to start doing the same thing, keep it secret. Payton and Erin also seem to be getting along well." he said, giving us a rundown of what happened. "Tom seems to be sticking by one of the girls in the other part of the group, which is just as well, he and Erin have been around each other for years. Time to branch out. But now, seriously, how was your night?"

"Well, I met her mother."

"You went to the Abnegation compound?"

"We passed by and she happened to meet us." I clarified.

"Anyway, it went fine, perfect actually."  
"Except for the train ride..."  
"I was getting to that." We sort of had a conversation amongst ourselves, or at least we were able to follow each other up. "What I wanted to finally talk about was earlier today."

"Yeah, they just kind of went out to the trains the entire night. I saw them walk out and walk back in, so I assume that they didn't go into town because you two would be there."

"The city is a big place, but I can assume so." he nodded before continuing. "What I wanted to say is that I'm sorry I canceled training early. I just couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand them."

"No one can, you're not alone, both of you. I'm not angry, we're doing more hand to hand combat tomorrow though right?"

"Yeah, we have to."

"My thought is to put Caroline and Adam in two fights each. One against each other and Caroline against you, Wren, since you beat up Adam perfectly fine."

"Who are you going to put Adam against though?"  
"One of the stronger guys there, I think his name is Nicholas, another Candor, big and brawny, blond hair?"

"Oh, yeah, he seems nice though."

"He's got a deadly punch. Could knock him out if he tried hard enough."

"But me against Caroline?"

"We'll make sure that you are well rested, she won't be."

"Isn't this cheating?"  
"Dauntless aren't about integrity, that's Candor, my friend."

"But we're also not Erudite."

"Tomorrow is the only day we cheat. Besides, by the weekend, you'll have the first set of rankings. The second week is the real thing that determines if you'll be in Dauntless."

"Okay, I just want it to be a fair fight."

"It will be, for you."

"Good enough."

"Now tell me," Isaac questioned, leaning forward. "What happened on the train?"

"Caroline started talking shit to Wren, and she got pissed."

"I blew up." Abnegation was a mere memory at that point.  
"I feel you." Isaac sympathized.

"I punched Adam, if it makes you feel any better."  
"Is that who I heard yelling?"

"It wasn't even that bad, not even enough to leave a black eye. He just was really weak."

"Well, he kind of deserved it."

"I agree."

"What time is it?" I asked. I was starting to get a bit tired.  
"It's about twelve thirty."

"I think I want to get to bed, if it's going to be a long day tomorrow like you say."

"Training in the morning, fighting and endurance in the afternoon, pretty long, yeah."

"I'll get going. See you two tomorrow!" Isaac waved as he left.

"Stay the night?"

"Well..." I paused

"You've already felt how comfortable that bed is."

"I don't have clothes with me."

"Go and get some. I'll be here."

"Hm." I sighed, fake weighing my options. "Fine, I'll go!" I practically skipped out of the room and down the halls. Tomorrow I wanted to look Dauntless. Maybe I would go and finally get a tattoo after training.

I went into the room where I found Mels and Payton giggling, and looking over at me. They seemed really happy.

"How was your date? Isaac told us. Did you hear?"

I laughed. "Yeah, Isaac told me." Isaac just seemed to be the news bearer all of a sudden, sort of a messenger for the initiates.

"It's awesome! Are you going to stay at Theo's tonight? Isaac said that might happen."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry for leaving you both so much for a guy."

"Hey, don't worry about it. We're fine, and we still love you. You're not hurting our feelings any. Besides, I'm sure once you make it public, it'll get easier to spend more time together. After initiation, we can all start spending more leisure time together. Go on, get some clothes and get out of here before more people come in and start questioning." she beamed at me.

"Thanks, you guys." I was so happy to have new, true friends like them. "I'm so lucky to have you." I pulled them into a bear hug, grabbed my most Dauntless clothes, and scurried out of the room, practically running to Theo's.

"Back so late?"  
"The girls held me up." I didn't realise it had been about twenty minutes, it should have only taken about ten.

"Gotcha, gotcha."

"I think I'm just going to sleep in this," I shrugged, my dress was good enough. I didn't want to have to keep borrowing his clothes.

"Sleep in my sweats you wore today, they're still clean."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely. Be comfortable."

"Okay, love you." the words just kind of left my mouth without me thinking about them.  
He seemed to like hearing them, as he grinned. "Love you too."

The words were so easy to say, and I went into the bathroom with a silly smile crossing my face. I wanted to take a shower before I went to sleep, and this shower seemed to be much more efficient than the ones in the room. The water was warm running down my skin, and not as harsh. They didn't make the best conditions for the initiates, but we lived with them. They were actually better than Abnegation, which was nice. But not as good as this. I felt relaxed after I dried off, and the clothes I slipped into felt even better.

I climbed into bed and saw him reading, so I laid my head on his chest, feeling him breathe and hearing his heartbeat. It was slightly elevated.

"Excited about something?"

"You, for one thing, you must remember, you're the first actual relationship I've wanted."

"Right, I keep forgetting."

"I'm not as popular as you make me out to be. Certainly hanging with your group is the only way I've gotten to really know people."

"Are you glad you hang out with them though?"

"Absolutely."

"I want to meet Peter, after initiation."

"Talk to Bri, really, he's her brother."

"Yeah I know, and I will, but I want to meet him both ways, officially and informally. Does Bri live with him?"

"Sometimes she stays with him, she doesn't want to live with her parents, and when she gets fed up with the other initiates, I hear her come up here sometimes."

"That's awesome."

"You can do that too. I gave you a key for a reason."

"Just chill here, even when you're not here?"  
"After initiation, it might be nice to have somewhere to go, especially since I can gather that you, Mels, Payton, and Erin might all be sharing an apartment."

"You can do that?"  
"You'd be surprised what you can do."

"You'll have to show me sometime." I started nodding off as he kept reading.

"We have plenty of time." I heard him say as he read, and then I was out again.

* * *

**_AN: Dialogue-y chapter, definitely. I'm like that, I like explaining things through speech rather than through thoughts, but I'm also planning on having a more existential rather than psychological outlook in the book. So this is the last part of the chunk and I'll get back to you tomorrow with even more! Thank you for reading, as always!_**


	11. Chapter 11

_**AN: Well I'm back and you all get an enormous ten chapters because I didn't feel like updating until now! So enjoy it, because it's getting better as I go along! There will be more romance, so be warned, of course, you wouldn't be here if you didn't like a little romance, so there's that. Oh! POVs are switiching because I wanted to try it. So be aware of that, I list whose POV it's in at the beginning of the chapter, so you'll be able to be Erudite about it and figure it out. Thanks for reading! Enjoy~**_

* * *

When Factions Collide

Chapter 11: Theo

That morning was the morning I was to execute my plan. Get Caroline to sit the fuck down and shut the fuck up. She needed to be told not to mess with my girl. My girl. She was a completely different subject. The one thing that no one would ever take away from me. I loved her. I could never admit it to anyone but her, but I did. She was perfect. Yes, she had her faults. And certainly, after the initial period of elation was over, we would get annoyed by each other, and yes, I knew things would get harder. But it was so worth it, because she was mine.

Speaking of the Abnegation girl, I had almost forgot about her next to me until I tried to move my arm. Her fingers were tangled with mine. I smiled, looking at her face. It was about six thirty, I didn't want to disturb her. Her hair was wavy and frizzy, because she slept on it. But it was so soft. Her skin was so smooth under mine. I adored her, and I loved doing that. Adam was about to ruin her, and she didn't need that in her life. So I was there to save her.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not about the whole 'damsel in distress' life. I just think that people shouldn't go hurting other people for fun, for their own self-adoration. Think of it as a personal philosophy.

I saw her turn over and hug me, half awake. Her eyes fluttered. I pulled her close to me, relishing every touch. I laughed at the way her hair stood up, and I laughed at the way she sighed in my arms, still asleep but coherent as well, not wanting to get up. She was actually very far from perfect, I was going to be honest. But she was perfect enough for me, and that was all that mattered. Her cheeks were pink and they were illuminated by the light pouring in, her lower lip a little fuller than the upper. She was plain, with plain features when looked at separate, except for her eyes. The most peculiar things, changing from blue when she was happy to grey when she was sad, to green when she got so passionate. All of those plain features gathered to make something beautiful, and she knew how to carry herself. I loved the look on her face when she got overexcited about something, I loved the way that she looked out for her friends. And I admit, I loved seeing her angry, seeing how far she could go before breaking.

The first time I met her, at the test, I thought I felt something, but I repressed it, thinking I would never see her again. Most Abnegation stayed with their families. But when I caught her after she took that first jump, I lit up, my body was on fire. The first time I ever felt something like this, and it was toward an Abnegation girl that would love me more than she loved herself. I wasn't doing this for me though, I was doing this because I wanted to act on my emotions. The only difference between acting on my emotions and Adam doing the same thing was that I stuck with my actions. I was planning on being with her a long time, through the fights, through the hard times. And because she was Divergent as well, I didn't have to keep secrets from her, like I did from everyone else. Isaac was the only person I could trust like that, and even then, he wasn't good enough.

"Theo," she was a bit groggy, it was cute. "Theo what time is it?"

"It's only about six forty five."

"How is my hair?" she felt her wavy mane, trying to tame it. The pieces she slept on kept sticking up in tufts.

"It's really frizzy. This is why you shower in the morning."

"Sorry for wanting to sleep in." she hit my chest lightly. I laughed. Normally I didn't show my emotions so easily, I was so guarded. But with her, it was so easy to be myself.

"Well, I should go and shower." I said, getting up gently as to not disturb her.

"No, you're going to stay here." she opened her eyes finally and scowled at me lightly as I shut the door.

"Too late." I said.

She used one of the cleaner scents my shower was set to, one that I never really thought to touch, the smell of rose petals. I just had mine set for regular water, but I knew the curiosity she must have felt when she used it, and I laughed again at her mind. So big and so vast, making me question things I never thought possible. I was never an optimist, it was strange constantly smiling just from the thought of someone.

Fifteen minutes later and I came out wearing a pair of jeans, forgoing a shirt for now. She was sitting up, reading the book I had out last night.

"Kind of interesting." she said.

"You would say that, you were tested for Erudite. You might want to do something with your hair."

"I'm going to try to wet it, get the frizz down."

"Please do, it's hard to take you seriously."

"Shut up." Wren got a brush and went to the sink, trying to wet her hair and brush it down. She ended up doing a pretty good job, and put it up, being lazy with it.

"No, keep it down, I like it frizzy."

"Fine." she took it out and re-brushed it. Her outfit was Dauntless, so I thought her hair should be a bit wild too. I had good intuition about these things. No, I didn't really care how she looked, but I wanted her to make Caroline jealous.

"Do you have eyeliner?"

"I'm putting some on." she sounded sort of annoyed.

"Hey, what's up?"  
"I really don't want her to beat me today."  
"She won't. She'll be so tired that you'll knock her out in one punch. You jab quickly. And her weakness is that she looks down before she hits, so hit her while she's distracted."

"You think I'll do well?" she looked at me when she was done.

"You'll kick ass. You look like you could right now."

We walked out and saw Isaac heading down as well. He looked at me and then back at her. I shook my head. I had no intention to sleep with her.

"Good morning, sleep well?" he asked both of us, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, we actually slept, Isaac." I said to him.

"How about you?" she asked, still oblivious to the innuendo he was trying to impose.

"I slept fine, stayed up and watched a Capitol segment they had, Caesar was funnier than usual, must be because of the Games coming up. What is it, one hundred?"

"Another Quell, yeah."

"I feel so young, this will be the fourth Quell for everyone else, only the first for us." he and I walked into the Pit, Wren behind us. She wasn't too interested in the games. When she saw Mels and Payton, though, she went straight over to start talking. She dug in immediately as well, getting mostly protein in her, points for her learning. I saw Adam and Caroline, he was stacking up on empty calories, not good for a fight, and she was hardly eating at all, especially not good. Today would be interesting.

I sat down next to her, and Isaac in his new spot next to Mels. Erin and Payton sat across from each other, and the rest were scattered. Bri sat with her initiates, she usually only joined us for dinner. I really did consider myself part of their group, and they accepted me. Only four days in, and they were the fastest forming group of initiates, congregating even on the first day. I felt hopeful of the unity of Dauntless, that maybe what Four created would actually stay instead of becoming corrupted.

I was lost in my thoughts for a while, I can't ever remember getting out of them until I sensed it was time to go to set up training. I said goodbye to Wren, who smiled up at me and continued her conversation. She was so good at keeping things casual, I really felt good about it. I wasn't as good, just really wanting to kiss her, but luckily we were comfortable enough with each other to not become like Adam and Caroline, who were constantly all over each other, it was disgusting even to me, a closet romantic.

Down in the training room, I set up the rankings and who was fighting who. They would see the rankings in the morning, and they would see the fight schedule in the afternoon. The list started with a boy from Erudite, who excelled in everything. The next best was Erin, who excelled at everything but the theory. Third was Wren, fourth, Mels, then Adam, Payton, Caroline, Tom, and two others from Candor. Instead of putting Adam with Nicholas, who was one of the bottom two, I was going to put him with Evan, the first ranked initiate. They would be the last fight. Wren and Caroline would be third, with Mels and Tom first and Caroline and Adam second. Payton would be going against Nicholas, and Erin against the final boy from Candor. There would be more fighting today, but after everyone was done two turns, they would be able to leave. I put Wren as the third, and the second to last against Evan as well.

The initiates walked in, and lined up against the wall, looking at the board to see their rankings. A few stared at the top of the list, looking at Evan's name.

"I'm third?" I heard the ringing bell sound from the back.

"These are your rankings currently. They'll be changing throughout the next week, and the final fight on next Friday will determine the rankings for phase one. The last two will be cut, and after that, until six are left. There are ten of you, so four will be cut totally."

There was murmuring from the group. "How come our final rankings are determined from one fight?"

"They're not, Erudite. The last one is weighted the most. It's a test, don't you get it?" the girl who asked was Caroline. Now her torture began. Normally I wasn't a person for revenge, but I couldn't help it, the chance was there and I was taking it. "Start practicing." I ordered, and they split up, finding punching bags to begin with.

Wren, Mels, Erin, and Payton were all together, not surprising, and Isaac was keeping a good eye on them. I would keep an eye on Caroline and Adam, trying to see where their weak spots were. Hers was getting distracted easily, and trying to focus too much on strategy. She couldn't pack a punch, her hits were soft. She tried doing the theory, but also executed poorly. She'd never last against Wren. Adam focused on the lower body the most, because he used no strategy and brute force, so he could only attack when his opponent was down. I was not impressed with their skills.

After a break for lunch, the real fun began. We started late, at one thirty, so that way they would have a chance to stretch and hydrate before going in the ring. Then I called the first fight, Mels and Tom. That one was a reluctant battle, because Mels knew Tom pretty well. But she won, as I expected and he came out with a bloody nose, and her a bruised cheekbone. Minor injuries, but I felt bad for them, they were my friends after all. The second fight was going to be my favourite.

"Adam," I paused, smiling at Isaac and Wren. "And Caroline." I looked at Mels and Payton for a reaction, both of them looking at me and nodding in approval.

"I can't fight her."

"I won't fight him." They started arguing with me.

"Hey!" Isaac shouted. "You will fight, or else get out of the compound."

"Fine."

"Chop chop." I said, yawning at the lack of fighting I saw.

They circled around each other, both trying to avoid contact. Caroline was the one to throw the first punch at his shoulder, but he ducked. This was going to be long and boring, I could tell. He smacked her face, not actually wanting to punch her.

"Your rankings are depending on this. If you refuse to fight, you could be kicked out."

"I'm trying." the girl whined.

"Not hard enough." I said harshly. This was fun. Malicious, but fun. I saw Wren's face light up each time they tried to hit and miss each other, and knew I was doing the right thing.

The fight itself lasted five minutes, with Adam knocking her to the ground. But the whole spectacle lasted about half an hour, the reluctance was killing me. Caroline made it out with minor injuries as well, but her face was damaged enough that if Wren did a few good hits, then she would be damaged.

"Next up, Caroline and Wren." This was it. My girl would win. And win she did.

The fight started with Caroline revving up and firing the first throw again, which Wren blocked and turned on herself. A kick to the ribs knocked Caroline back, but she did get two good throws, one to her gut and one to her face, which made me clench my fist. Luckily those were the only two punches she got. Caroline had said something I couldn't hear, but Wren heard and raged. She started glaring at her, staring daggers into her face. Her rage would take over. It did. This fight lasted seven minutes, but got more and more violent with each minute. By the time she was done with Caroline, which Isaac had to end because I would have let it go on forever, Caroline had a minor concussion. Good. She was whimpering as Isaac took her to the infirmary, and he rushed back just in time to see Adam fuming.

"That's my girl" I whispered to Wren when she came out of the ring.

The next fights went slowly, I was basically done watching after Caroling and Wren, nothing else really mattered. She came out and sort of limped to Mels and Payton, looking a bit winded. She wasn't as good as others were, certainly, but if she got angry and pushed enough, she got through it with only a few marks. I definitely thought she could use some improvement though, she wasn't perfect.

For her second fight, she went against Evan. I knew he was better than her in combat. But after her fight with Caroline, I had faith that she could stand it. I wasn't wrong, but I wasn't right either. She came out of the fight in ten minutes, getting a good punch at him in the face, but unfortunately he beat her up pretty badly too, and won. I knew he didn't really want to hurt her, he went very easy on her, but his winning would be worse than her injuries, because her bruised confidence was the worst injury she would sustain. She didn't look bad in her face, but her sides were going to hurt for a while, I could tell. That was her weak area. She always forgot to cover up her torso, and so people would aim there. I would have to train her to keep all of her areas covered.

"You need to cover more." I told her when she exited again.

"I need more practice."

"What you need now is rest. Go to the room, I'll be up after training." It was only four, after all.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, go. I'll work with you more and we'll get your skills up, okay?" I whispered to her. "Go relax."

"See you in a little bit."

She exited the door, I told them they could leave after they had each done two fights, or they could stay and train. She was trying to push herself to the limit, but I wasn't going to let her. At least, not with injuries like that. Maybe on the outside she was fine, but they were pretty hard hits, and I wanted to make sure she was okay before putting her back. The rest of the group, aside from those who still needed to fight, went back to training.

After two hours, I was getting really anxious about Wren, and I ended training. I needed to go and see her. Hopefully she was resting, but knowing her she probably went for a run in spite of me, so obnoxious, but I loved it too. She was strong, and she carried herself like it, but she needed to be weak sometimes.

I walked past the Pit, not bothering to look in. Maybe if I had I would have seen her and not have gotten so worried, but I assumed that she would listen. Instead, food took precedence. I mistakenly checked my apartment, not finding her, and freaked out, going back down to the pit, where I saw her talking and laughing with her friends.

"Where were you?"

"I came down for dinner, Theo." she looked guilty.

"Did you at least try to rest?"

"I went in the hot tub and slept for about an hour."

"How do you feel?"

"I feel like it's going to bruise, but I don't feel too injured right now. I can handle it."

"They looked like bad hits."

"Not as bad as it looked from there, I can assure you that. They'll heal, I'm just not sure if you're going to see me in a bathing suit for a few days." she laughed and went back to eating. I exhaled in relief, and in frustration. She scared me. But this was the girl I chose to be with, and I was in love with her and all her faults, no matter what, and no one was going to take her away.


	12. Chapter 12

When Factions Collide

Chapter 12: Wren

So protective of me, like my mother used to be. I knew it was all in good favour, and I loved that he cared so much, but my injuries weren't as bad as he thought, he was just thinking the worst. Of course, I knew they would bruise. But the physical scars weren't going to be as bad as the verbal scars I got from Caroline.

"Whore, trying to steal my life away from me, my boyfriend, my friends. No one will ever like you, especially not Theo, so do him a favour and stop pretending that he does." she whispered when we fought. That sent me into a rage, but when I got back to Theo's room, I had to stop and think about it for a little bit. Of course he cared, I know he did. I didn't think he was lying to me, I didn't think he was that bad, Mels said he was telling the truth. But what if he was so good that he was able to get past everyone? He was tested for Candor, but he knew how to lie as well, that's why he picked Dauntless. But no, he felt something for me. It took me an hour to get over what she said.

Not even after an hour was I ready to deal with Caroline. I would most likely kill myself. Or her. Or him. Most likely the two latter choices. I would never really try to kill myself, Theo would miss me too much. Or so I hoped. Really, my problem was with the fact that Caroline just hated me from the start. She never gave me a chance, never got to know me. She never even said hi to me once. So my question became why she hated me so much, just for coming from Abnegation. Caroline was being stuck up about the whole situation. I shook it off, my temper rising again. Hopefully training would end early and Theo would come back up. I never got the chance to wait for Theo, I fell asleep too quickly.

* * *

At around six, I was up and ready to go down. He must have stayed down there for the rest of training. Maybe he just wanted to talk to some other people, or maybe he was fed up with me for fighting, now he probably thought I was too violent for fighting Caroline. Her doubts penetrated my mind, but I steeled myself and went down for dinner without Theo by me.

I saw Mels, Payton, Bri, Nate, and Isaac, but still no Theo. So I brushed it off and went to sit down with them, grabbing food and stuffing myself.

"For someone who put up a hell of a lot in a fight, you don't show for it. You still look good." Mels looked at me with her half black eye.

"My face may be okay," aside from minor bruising, but I didn't mention that, "But my ribs are like hell. They almost burn." It was true, they were really bad. I wouldn't be wearing anything sheer for a while. They laughed, but I didn't. First of all, I couldn't or I would start the pain again, and that was just going away. Second, I didn't consider my pain a laughing matter.

I spotted a lull in the conversation and got the chance to ask. "Where's Theo?"

"I thought he went looking for you. He went back to his room, assumed you would be there."

"When?"

"Right after training he took off, about five minutes ago." Oh. Well. Didn't I feel stupid for thinking about what Caroline said. In fact, he was just buzzing around trying to make sure _I_ was okay. "In fact," Payton continued, "Here he comes now."

"Where were you?" he jogged to meet me at the table.

"I was in the room, and then I came down to eat." I looked back at my food and laughed with my friends. I don't know why I was so blasé, probably just the doubts again. Damn Caroline. He walked away, nodding and sort of shaking his head and laughing good-naturedly about my stubbornness.

I looked at the end of the table and saw Adam sitting alone. He looked seemingly complacent without Caroline there, almost relieved to not have to talk to her. I decided to take my chance and strike him while he was already down.

"Where's the girlfriend?" I asked innocently, the others at my table watching to see where I was going with this.

"Look, if you're here to make me feel like shit, it worked a long time ago. I'm sorry." Adam looked up with me with fear and something else, maybe regret.

I smiled cruelly, with faux kindness. "You think that's it, and I'll forgive you? Just like that? Why would I ever make you feel bad, the way your girlfriend did to me? I'm not an ass. I'm just being considerate and asking where she is, because you look lonely. Consider it an Abnegation thing."

"She's still hurt. Apparently it's a bruised rib." Poor baby, her poor rib.

"Maybe if she actually did what she was supposed to do, eat, and train, then she would get somewhere with fighting." I did that to her, I bruised her. I felt no guilt.

"Maybe. But all I know is that I don't believe anything she told me about you. You've got to believe me, I defend you."

"She says what about me? She's known me for five days. What could she possibly have to say? She's never even talked to me."

"She was Erudite though, so she must have _some_ intuition," he shrugged, "I still don't believe her."

That was it. She may not have been there but he was the next best thing that I could use to show him, and her, how wrong they both were about me. I was not just a "Stiff" anymore, I washed my hands of that old life. I took on a new Dauntless life. I didn't see what happened next, but I felt my hand smack across his face, leaving a mark and stinging my own hand a bit.

"Get out. Screw you. I don't care if you wanted to defend me, you took the time to at least consider that she might be right. Where is the trust, the friendship in that, _Amity_?" I started walking away.

"You were cut out for Dauntless, Wren. We weren't. But we're trying to fit in. Give us that."

"Not even close." I walked out of the Pit.

I walked-no, ran- back to the dorms instead of to Theo's. I wasn't even sure he wanted to see me. I took his jacket and wrapped it around me, and laid down on my bed. I wasn't even sure initiation was worth it, although I knew I was being melodramatic at the time. It just wasn't fair to have someone hate me for no reason, much less to have them talk about me. I never did anything to her, she just wanted to talk badly about my faction. My _ex_ faction really.

* * *

I don't know how long I slept before I woke up to the smell of Theo, my head on his chest, and his hand running through my hair. I also didn't realise I had been crying, but I felt my cheeks and they were dry, with the feeling of dried tears on them. How did he know where I was? There were literally no boundaries for the Dauntless, I didn't know how he would think to come here, none of the others were here, and they didn't tell him. We were the only two in here.

"Hey, beautiful." he looked down on me.

"Theo, why are you here?"

"I got worried about you, and I wanted to come check up on you. When I saw that you were upset, I sat down with you."

"What?" I faintly remember curling up with him, but I thought it was a dream where I was just half asleep. "I thought that was just me dreaming."

"Nope. What's up?"

"Caroline is trying to talk shit." I mumbled into his chest.

"She's what?" he sounded alarmed.

"And I slapped Adam, ran here, and started crying." I started remembering bits and pieces.

"Tomorrow, we fight for the last time this week. I'll make sure to get her killed."

"No, don't put me with her, please."

"Well, no promises, Isaac's making up the schedule, but she will be pummeled, that I can make sure of."

"Okay."

"What did she say to you?"

"When?"

"In the fight, what did she say?"

"She accused me of trying to steal Adam, and that you don't want to even put up with me."

"You know that's not true, right? I love having you around. I love having you. I love you."

"Yeah, I know, but it just kind of got to me, since I'm not used to the whole thing and whatnot."

"Just know that I will never give up on you."

I nodded and he went back to stroking my hair, his other arm wrapped around me. I smiled complacently, I enjoyed the attention, I really did. It was nice being cared about, it was nice knowing that Theo actually did care.

We spent the rest of our time together like that, but he left around eleven before the initiates started getting back. He kissed me long and hard, his lips crashing down on mine. They were so soft, but they kept their form as mine shaped around his.

"I really do love you, Wren. He tilted my chin up and broke away only for a moment, getting a glimpse of my eyes.

"I do too. It's just-"

"Hard for you to say. I know. It takes a lot of courage for me to say it too. When you're ready." he smiled and kissed me again.

"But give it to me straight, how awful do I look?" I was sure the crying probably impacted my eyeliner a little bit, and I know my hair _had_ to be sticking out.

"All in all, not too bad." he chuckled and wiped a bit of eyeliner from the side.

"Good."

"Oh, and heads up, we'll be coming in about two AM to get you guys up. Paintball. Get some more sleep."

"Can't I come with you?"

He stood, pondering for a moment. "Yeah sure, I guess, as long as Peter doesn't see you. Grab some stuff. And take my jacket." he threw it to me. I grabbed black jeans and a shirt that covered up a lot of skin, one of the cheaper ones I got, so I could at least have a little bit of Abnegation left. I took my sweats as well, grabbed a bag to put them all in, and headed out the door with Theo.

"Maybe you should invest in buying some more clothes and leaving them at my place." he looked at my bag with a strange look. I saw and put my head down, maybe he didn't want me staying with him all the time. "No, I don't mean it like that, I just mean it would be easier. And you would have more selection."

"And I wouldn't be stealing your clothes all the time." I added.

He smirked. "You look nice in my clothes."

We got into the apartment and crashed into bed, getting under the covers quickly. It wasn't like that, but I wanted to experience the essence of the good Dauntless bedding rather than the sheets they gave us in the dorms. I slept soundly until Peter woke us up.

* * *

_**AN: They're cute! Adam and Caroline are petty, but I needed a target for some fighting and some conflict...until we get to even more conflict. So thanks for reading and whatnot, I will never stop thanking you! Keep going, there's like eight more left!**_


	13. Chapter 13

When Factions Collide

Chapter 13: Adam

Jeez, that girl could pack a punch. I found myself in a series of unfortunate mistakes, having a girl I could call my own, but not really the one I wanted. Caroline found me, not the other way around. And I would have had the one I really loved had Isaac or Theo capture her heart. Too bad, they were trainers, the most they could be were friends. Of course, there was that Candor girl, Mels, and although she didn't like me, she seemed viable too. There were just too many to choose from. But now, for some reason, Wren hated me. I think Caroline had something to do with that.

She slapped me, after I told her I was defending her. Okay, true, Caroline shouldn't be talking about her, and true, she didn't know Wren. But that doesn't mean she should hit me! I did nothing! The echelon of rational morality called for me to tell her the truth, and I justified it the best I could. I did, I defended her. But she still didn't seem to like that I was with Caroline. This must have meant she was jealous. Maybe she would drop Theo and Isaac and come to me, so I could drop Caroline. Of course, there were a few of the Dauntless born initiates looking at me too, maybe I could get with one of them to get rid of Caroline, although I don't want to get rid of her either, she was very attached, giving me the love I needed and deserved.

I was a mysterious being. After Wren left, I sat and pondered about why I did come to Dauntless. I was Amity. Perhaps I should have gone into Abnegation, I do hate to disappoint people. I'm extremely selfless. But now, I was stuck, and I didn't want to be factionless. I would get through it, prove to Wren I'm the one she wants, and drop Caroline, who really wouldn't stay in Dauntless. God, for as pretty as she is, that's where it stops.

About thirty minutes passed and I got up from the table to go down and visit my beloved. She was stuck in bed, a bruised rib and a bruised face. Not so pretty now, but I was obligated to love her. She was so hated by everyone, I could honestly see why, but I wasn't going to give up as long as Wren hated me. Once she saw what she was missing, then I could drop her. But it was going well for me so far with Caroline, I could deal with it.

"Hi baby," she said faintly. She was Erudite, no time for relationships, so she loved using what she had read from books on me. I was from Amity, so I had a few, but none of them ever lasted despite my constant pining for them. Huh.

"Hey, how are you?" I asked as I took her hand, only wishing it were Wren's or Mels', or any other girl besides Caroline. I needed to push the thoughts away, but I couldn't. I wonder where Wren went after dinner, hopefully she's not too upset, she looked ready to kill someone after I talked to her.

"I'm getting better," she paused to wince and take a breath. "I should be out by tomorrow, they're giving me medicine around the clock. Erudite medicine, so it speeds up the process." she leaned up, waiting for a kiss. I kissed her briefly and lightly so I didn't hurt her busted lip any more. "That Stiff made me like this. When I see her next, I'm going to make her wish she never came to Dauntless. She's done so much to hurt me, I can't believe she would do this to me. Of course, the only reason anyone talks to her is because they feel sorry for her. That's Abnegation for you, constantly feeding off of the sympathy of others in their seemingly selfless ways." she started shit talking her again.

"No, I don't believe she's like that." I had to defend her, it just didn't feel right if I didn't. "She chose Dauntless for a reason. If the rest of the faction is like that, so be it, but she's not playing on sympathy."

"She hurt me. Of course she has to play weakling."

"I still think you're wrong," Wren's words were in my mind. "You don't even know her."

She scowled at me as much as she could. "I know her kind. Look at Tris Prior and Tobias."

"Those two were essential to bringing our worlds together. Without them, we wouldn't be where we are today. They were saints, practically."

"I'm just saying, nothing good comes out of Abnegation. Imagine if she were Divergent."

"Divergents aren't bad. They're more repaired than the rest of us." I didn't want to get into this now. I requested a nurse to put her on the morphine again so I could leave. "Sleep, baby, it's okay." she fell under the medicine and I backed away slowly and went out, looking for somewhere else to go. Maybe Wren was right, and I just didn't want to admit it until now.

Around eleven I went back to the dorms to sleep, and found Mels, Payton, and Isaac playing cards. I came in and they looked at me. Mels flipped me off, Isaac shushed her, and they went back to card playing. I stripped, climbed into bed, and slept til about two thirty. I hadn't heard anyone else come in or go out until Peter and Theo and Isaac came in, waking all of us up loudly.

* * *

**_AN: They're disgustingly gross. I felt gross just writing that. Romance is not my territory, but I must experiment! Soon, so soon, you'll be finding more characters that will make the story so much better, but you'll have to read on to find out!_**


	14. Chapter 14

When Factions Collide

Chapter 14: Theo

After dinner, when I saw Wren, I decided to take a walk. I knew she was okay and I didn't want to bombard her, but I also just wanted to take care of her. It was like a need, a need to protect her. But she was Dauntless, and I knew what she was capable of, she could protect herself.

I had walked around the compound a million times, when I had a thought to go down and wait by the dorms. Maybe then she would see that I truly meant no harm, because I knew she was upset at me for constantly checking up on her. I needed to apologise for that, I really meant no harm by it. I walked through the halls, and ended up at the dorms. Walking in, I found a seemingly lifeless form on the bed, crying softly. It was Wren. What had happened? My only two guesses were Adam or Caroline.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

She didn't say anything, and I knew she wasn't going to remember, she was in a drunk stupor of sadness, or anger, or both, knowing her. I sat on the bed, got comfortable, and pulled her near me. She was so light, and so apt to the touch, and she curled up on my chest. I saw that she was wearing my jacket. Definitely sad enough to want my comfort, and not mad at me at all. But I knew she wasn't going to remember I came in when she woke up, so I sat there and let her sleep for a couple hours, hoping she would be alright when she woke up.

No, she wasn't perfect. And sometimes she got a little stubborn. But never in my life had I found someone who accepted me for me, however much of an ass I was, and I could be quite one. I wanted to show her that there was hope, and after sixteen years of Abnegation, I wanted to show her that there were always happy endings, choice in love rather than the Abnegation or Erudite kind.

That was the only similarity between the two. The types of love. Abnegation was too selfless to form any true emotional or romantic bonds, and Erudite was too busy finding new research or reading to care. So they just kind of settled and learned to live with it. I didn't want that, and I don't think Wren would want that either. Thank goodness she chose Dauntless, I don't think I could handle anyone else in the compound.

I felt her stirring, I had been absentmindedly playing with the waves in her hair, turning them into soft curls and making them stick up. She looked up at me groggily, and a look of recognition came upon her face. She almost looked embarrassed, probably at the way she looked. I thought she looked fine, but I also thought she looked sad, the way her eyeliner was, a bit running down her face on the side. Her eyes were tired and the gleam to them was gone, which worried me. Her hair, partially my fault, was sticking out, and her lips turned down, although they did that naturally as well. But she was still pretty to me, in that just waking up sort of way. I thought it was cute, but she wanted to be Dauntless. I had to stifle a laugh at our differing perspectives. She sank her body into mine again.

"Hey, beautiful." I cooed to her, being the only two in the room.

"Theo, what are you doing?"

I had to explain to her how I found her, and she smiled at me. The glisten came back to her, which in turn made me smile as well. It was that hint of passion that I loved seeing in her, the hint of something there, some feeling bubbling up inside of her. She depressed; however, at the mention of Caroline, and how she told her that no one here wanted to put up with her. Oh, I would make her pay for that. As soon as she makes my girl feel doubt about me, as soon as I make her feel loved, that's crossing the line. But I wouldn't do anything to her, oh no. Where was the fun in that? No, it would be her precious Adam that I would torture next.

Tonight, during paintball. That's the next place I could torture him. Peter and I would be picking teams, and I wanted to stay out of the picking business, so I woud be on a team as well. Hopefully with Wren. Hopefully this would integrate the Dauntless born with the transfers, although that was already happening. But this would give a good bit of teamwork skills necessary, except to Adam, who I was going to pick. I hope Wren didn't hate me too much for what was soon to come.

I told her about paintball, and thought that maybe she would want to stay with her friends. But when she suggested coming home with me, I wasn't averse. But maybe I would go out and buy her a few things so she could keep some stuff with me rather than making treks back here and having to carry a bag all the time. And as an apology gift for hovering all the time. I liked to think myself a good boyfriend, but I knew that sometimes I could get a bit annoying. Hopefully she thought well of me, but I knew once we started spending more time together, she would get to know me more, know my friends, and probably see the weird side come out. Maybe she had a weird side. Maybe our weirdness was compatible.

She bounded towards the bed and burrowed under the covers in her sweats, with my jacket on. I laughed and jumped on the bed, crawling under after her. I kissed her neck and took her waist, sliding her across to meet my body. It was so nice, finally having someone to be with, that I wanted here with me. Hopefully she wanted me just as much. I really loved her, I hope she could see how wrong Caroline was. She would find out how much everyone cared with time, and I knew she would be Dauntless enough to make it. That thought of the girl next to me got me to sleep, although a few hours later rudely awakened by Peter, ramming on the door to get up.


	15. Chapter 15

When Factions Collide

Chapter 15: Theo

"Paintball time!" I heard the hammering on the door. Shit, hopefully he didn't barge in and see Wren here. That wouldn't be good. Of course, I wished I could show her off, but initiates and trainers weren't really supposed to get together, so I just really hoped for the sake of my job and her rank, and for the sake of awkwardness that-

"If you don't come out in five seconds, I'm barging down the door." he interrupted my thoughts.

"Shit Peter, I'm up. Lemme get something presentable on." I opened the door a crack, letting him know I was indeed shirtless.

"Fine, meet me in the dorms in two minutes." he walked on, leaving me be.

"Wren," I whispered, closing the door. She didn't budge. Of course not. "Wren." I said forcefully. Nothing. "Fine," I sighed, and threw a pillow at her. She jumped out of bed and glared at me.

"Was that really necessary, Theo?" she crossed her arms.

"Sorry, love, desperate times call for desperate measures. Two minutes, get dressed and go to the trains."

"Ugh. So not fair."

"Welcome to life, I warned you." I laughed as she stuck her tongue out at me, putting her hair up and changing into the clothes she brought, the darkest ones she owned. "Get out of here," I scooped her up and kissed her before setting her back down to run. I got a shirt on and followed Peter down to the dorms, where he was waiting with Isaac to barge in on the initiates.

"Theo, I'm going to wake up the others." Peter left me and Isaac to barge in. That would be fun.

"Wreck havoc." Isaac nodded at me and we kicked in the door. Of course, we didn't break it down, but I hadn't kicked a door in all training, so figured now would be a good time. The initiates looked up at us, sleep still in their eyes.

"Five minutes." I shouted. "Get up, get dressed, and go to the trains." They scurried around frantically. Mels and Payton were the only smart two, they slept in what they were going to wear. Isaac must have told them. They got up and left with him, leaving me there to make sure they all came out.

We went to the trains, it was about two minutes before it would actually come. I searched around and found the red haired girl in the front, waiting for the train to come. She looked back at me, smiling. I jogged up to her and she gave me a side hug. Peter brought the other initiates and they had the guns with them.

"You want to be on a team or you wanna pick?"

"Let Isaac pick, I'll be on a team." Peter nodded at me, looking down at Wren. His mouth went into a line, and he nodded at her, moving on.

"What was that?" she turned to me.

"Guilt."

"Oh." she looked down. "I still want to get to know him." she said softly.

"He needs to realise that he's a better person now, that she forgave him, so he can forgive himself." I sighed in empathy. I never knew Tris, Four, or the old Peter personally, but everyone knew the story, and it was about time that he forgave himself. No amount of self berating would get her back, and he couldn't change anything. Maybe if Wren started talking to him he would see that. One could hope, all I wanted was the best for him. And Four. I always saw them together. They seemed to bond over her. I just hope Wren would never do that, die for the rest of us. What a selfish thought I had of her.

The train lights popped out from around the corner, and we were all looking for the right time to start running. I always took the back car, it was just easier to me, but I would go where the rest of the initiates piled in this time. Peter started running after the third car passed, and they started piling in.

"Ready?" I asked and jumped in. She followed quickly, sticking the landing quite well. She turned to Bri, who must have given her the trick, and she nodded and smiled, giving her a thumbs up.

Peter looked around and stepped forward. He brought Isaac with him. "Paintball. We've done this every year, sort of a tradition for the initiates. I know I look forward to it. So, who's gonna pick first? Me or you?" he turned to Isaac, and Isaac pointed to him.

"You go, I'll get off first."

"Fair enough. Theo." he said, calling me forward.

"The Stiff is fast," I whispered, hoping to get him to pick Wren.

"Mels." Isaac picked. Of course, I was expecting that.

"Em," Peter chose one of the Dauntless born. She looked like Caroline a bit, with long brown hair and warm skin, but she carried herself differently. She was nice, I had seen her around.

"Payton." Those two were a package deal. Of course.

"Wren." Peter said, looking at her. Maybe he would start coming to terms with her on the team. I smiled in relief, I would be on a team with both of them. Good.

"Bri"

"Nate"

"Erin." They kept picking until Adam was left. Of course, he was the last one. No one wanted him. But he was stuck with us, and Isaac and his team jumped out of the car after Peter said his name.

"Guess we'll be working together, _Stiff_." Adam said with contempt.

"Don't call her a Stiff." Peter looked at him in a way that made him close his mouth immediately. I looked at him, he seemed as averse to Adam as everyone else was. I knew I liked Peter for some reason. "So, Wren, I hear you're fast." Peter went up to her, and I stood close by.

"I would like to think so," she replied.

"You're certainly brave. I can't remember anyone else as brave as you since Tris."

"She's my hero."

"She's everyone's hero."

"Why don't you tell me about her?"

I couldn't believe how at ease Peter was. Wren easily made him turn from sour to sweet. I had never seen that happen. She had such a unique personality. It made people love her or hate her, and the only reason they would ever hate her is because they were jealous. It was like she had that 'it factor' about her. Most people like that would choose Amity, since they could get along with everyone. It made me feel even better that she picked Dauntless. Those two sat talking about their idol and I stood by the door.

"Wren hates me." Adam came up to me. He thought he could talk to me so casually, and about my _girlfriend_? Nope.

"Yeah, she does." I stated the fact.

"I don't know what I've done to piss everyone off."

"Oh really? You sure?" I turned to him. "Couldn't possibly the fact that you're a little bitch who plays with people's emotions."

"I just like people."

"No, you like people to fawn over you. Screw you."

"I have a hard time making up my mind. The heart is fickle."

"I don't believe it." I shook my head. "Just shut up." I ordered. He was lucky he obeyed.

We got off at the next stop, about three minutes later. Wren jumped out along with Peter first, landing on their feet. I thought that maybe since they got along so well, hopefully we would all be really good friends. Maybe I could even tell him about us. That would relieve so much secrecy from me. I mean, as long as the initiates, more specifically Adam and Caroline didn't know, it would be fine. The two kept talking about Peter's year and Tris, her legacy, his adventures. It wasn't until all the team gathered around him that we discussed a plan.

"So, what do you all propose we do?" Peter clapped his hands together, looking for ideas from them. I found a hand clinging to mine, and then letting go so no one would see. It was pitch black out anyway, but it was nice of her to do that, let me know she was there, but be considerate. I smiled down at her, though she probably couldn't see my face very well.

"We should stay on the defensive." Adam said. "Hide the flag well and stay here to guard."

"Are you saying that we're going to be cowardly?" Nate commented at him.

"No, I'm just saying it's more efficient."

"We should split up. More should stay here, to guard, but we should split up and get farther and farther away from the flag." Erin offered.

"So sort of like layering it?" Peter confirmed.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Okay, but where to hide it?" Wren put in.

"Someone take it and hide." I answered.

"Who's the smallest enough to hide somewhere good?" Peter asked, looking at Wren. So she wouldn't be in the battle?

"Oh no, you're not making me hide." she put up a fight at that.

"You're fast. You can run if they try to get you."

"Yeah, I'm fast, which is why I should be on the offensive."

"I'll take it," volunteered Em, the other small girl. She was taller than Wren, about five feet five inches, but she could hide. How else would I have not seen her around the compound.

"You're not small." Adam said. "Not in that way, of course, but I mean for small hiding places." Really? He was flirting _here_?

"Well, neither is the Stiff, but I want to hide. I think it would be fun. Follow me." she went to a tree by the Navy Pier and climbed up it.

"Alright, two people, station yourselves around the tree. There's twelve of us now that Em is hiding." Peter stationed. He positioned us three, me, Wren and himself as the offensive, and the rest were split up at the farther ends and boundaries.

"Begin." he shot the pistol in the air as he began to run, signaling the start of the game. Only the Dauntless would come out at this time of night to play. All of the lights in the city were off, even the night life ones, like the clubs. Not even Dauntless members would usually come out this time of night.

I ran opposite of Peter, and Wren in another direction. We kept meeting up and tried to signal each other. We had to run back to the tree to think of a new plan.

"Okay, so three on the offense won't work. We need another three to go out." Adam, Nate and another Dauntless born volunteered. "Great, now we have two groups. Let's split up, and keep cover on each other."

Now Peter, Wren and I moved in a group. I thought it was strange that we hadn't seen Isaac's group yet, but my thought came too soon as we came face to face with a group of two. Mels and Payton. Peter was the first shot, shooting Mels in the stomach and Payton on the shoulder. They ran away, and we moved forward.

"There it is. They're playing defensive. Those two were the only offense." Wren whispered, seeing the flag at the top of the carousel.

"Well, how do we get it?" Peter asked her.

"I'll climb. I'm small, I'm fast, and if you hadn't noticed, I'm Dauntless. Let me go, just distract them and cover me."

"Go, Wren." Peter whispered as she ran off. We started firing, making a diversion to help get her to the back of the carousel. I saw her start climbing the animals and shimmy up the pole on top. Someone saw this too and shot her. It got her arm, sending her back a bit, putting her off balance. She continued on once she got it back, and I kept firing. We saw Adam and his group come over and start firing too. There were people shooting at Wren, but she managed to avoid the majority of the shots, though a few landed on her chest and splattered in her hair, but she grabbed the flag after a period of time, defending herself as well and shooting some, and held it up, ending the game after about an hour and a half.

"Yes Wren!" I shouted as she jumped down from the top. I went to pick her up and hug her, and spun her around. Her bell tone laugh rang in my ears, and I put her down, smiling and showing off the flag. Peter also ran to hug her, and she accepted politely. I thought that maybe there was hope, that he would finally get over the mistakes he made. It made me smile even more.

The train ride home was tiring, with Em and Wren sitting and talking, looking at the flag. Isaac's group seemed a bit bummed, except for the trio, who were joking and messing around with the paint balls. I sat and looked around, and Peter with me.

"Wren is pretty cool."

"Yeah?" I knew this already.

"She admires Tris. I'm starting to feel better about the whole thing. Of course, she's also very different than her as well, but still, I feel good, better, than I have in four years. Might have to tell Tobias about her."

"Don't want to start too much publicity."

"It's just Four, what could he possibly say?"

"That's true."

"You like her." he looked at me.

"Yeah, I do." I put my head down. I wasn't going to lie.

"She likes you too, you know."

"Kind of figured. But I can't do anything after initiation." I didn't want to give anything away.

"Wren," Peter shouted and called her over. Oh God, this couldn't be good.

He smiled. "I give you my blessing. As long as you can keep this a secret from the rest of the initiates," he kept his voice low and solemn, looking at both of us, "Then who am I to deny this?" he clapped me on the back. I smiled in relief and she echoed my look.

"Thank you, Peter," she said graciously.

"Can't keep something like this apart, Four wouldn't let me, if he knew what was going on." he laughed. I laughed easily with him. It seemed like everything was going right. Peter had definitely changed after the War, from what I heard about him. From hating Tris to now wanting to protect her legacy, I didn't know what kind of change someone could make like that. And now, here he was allowing another Four and Tris to happen. It was strange, but a good strange. Hopefully he wouldn't ever change, I didn't think he would, especially with Four around.

I don't know why, but after seventeen years of my life's constant ups and downs, and there were definitely more downs, my life was finally perfect. I just really hoped nothing stole that away. One can dream.

* * *

_**AN: Ah Peter. You'll see more of him! He becomes pretty cool if I do say so myself *Proud little grin*. I'm very glad that you all are enjoying this! It's getting to the point where I start merging, which is gonna be fun, so have fun reading that! Hopefully you're as attached to the characters as I am, but probably not because I'm writing them and they're not Tris or Tobias, but close enough, I'm attached! Have fun reading more:)**_


	16. Chapter 16

When Factions Collide

Chapter 16: Theo

"What do you mean the Hunger Games are in five weeks? Initiation is in ten!" I screamed at Peter. It was a day into the fear simulations, when after another week of fighting, there were two initiates cut. They were two from Candor, unfortunately Caroline and Adam didn't get cut.

"Yeah, I know. We're going to have to reschedule around it. Fear landscapes start tomorrow. Four told me what to give you." he handed me a stack of papers, obviously the new time line. I pulled Wren closer to me as we stood in Peter's apartment. "I truly am sorry, you have to know that. But hopefully you're not picked, this is your last year, right?"

"Yeah, but what about her?" I asked harshly.

"If she gets picked, which is a slim chance-"

"That doesn't mean it won't happen."

"If it happens, she's got a better chance than anyone else. She's meant for Dauntless, she'll be one of four victors, and she'll come home."

This year, for the Quell, which we had just watched the replay on the television after Peter barged in to talk, there were still twenty four tributes. But the Quell's twist this year would be four victors instead of just two. Of course, Wren and I hadn't been watching it at first, we had been reading in bed at the time. Peter finally called us over to talk, knowing I never really watched any television.

"This isn't fair." I had to admit, I was whining a bit, but only because I wanted more training. Six weeks were not enough for the training, and we had already taken up two. That meant after a week of break, we would only have three for fear landscapes. I wasn't even sure we should let them get time off.

"No, they're getting a week off. You know how stressful landscapes are. Let them be." Peter had said.

"Theo, don't worry. We won't get picked. There are a thousand other kids that could get picked. We're at the top of the list for not getting picked, we've made it this long."

"We're Dauntless."

"Yeah, so we can get through this."

"You're sixteen."

"So I put my name in three times. So you put yours in four. Theo," she kissed me. Peter looked away. I didn't care at the moment. "We'll be fine. I love you." she told me. I squeezed her hand.

"Love you too."

"I'm going to get Four, bring him over, see what he wants to happen. Maybe we can get more details." Peter said, unintentionally ruining the moment.

"Sorry," we both said and stood down from each other.

"You're fine," he said with a grimace, "I just want to see what the plans are too, I still have my initiates." Four wasn't a leader, he dropped down from the position, but we all still looked up to him, as he was our friend, and the one who went through the Purity War.

"Go," I waved him out of his own apartment and followed him out, telling him to meet us at mine.

I sat down in the chair by the television and put my head in my hands. I was frustrated, being a trainer, and an official, and _not_ getting the plans in advance from the Capitol also pissed me off. Since we were officials, we should have gotten the notice. They knew our scheduling, we should know theirs.

"That would be too easy." Wren tried to make light of the situation. Here's where she would see my pessimism come out. She took my hands from my face and sat on my lap, kissing my neck. I felt tears flow on my cheeks, the hot, wet feeling on my face. She kissed them away, suddenly not having any reservations about romance. I knew what she was trying to do. She wanted to take my mind off the situation, make me feel better, and distract both of us from what was going on. I took her and kissed her hard, I couldn't help it. I just needed that. Her lips were soft, and they caressed mine as her hands touched my face gently. It was all so passionate until Four and Peter walked in.

"Whoa, sorry," Four backed out a little bit, hands up. We both stood up. He looked at Wren.

"That's the Stiff?" he went over to her, almost like he didn't believe that she could come from Abnegation. I thought he of all people would know how a complete transformation could go. "Four." he introduced himself.

"Wren. I know who you are, _Tobias_." she used his real name.

"You look familiar."

"Formerly Renata."

"Ah, I knew your parents pretty well after the war. We fought side by side for a bit, the Allegiant , your father and I. He helped me out at least."

"Really?"

"Yeah." he paused and looked at me. "Girlfriend?"

"Little bit." my face was hot.

"Got it. Now, down to business. Hunger Games."

"Why didn't we get a notice?"

"According to other cities, they never give notices for Quells. That's why they announce it to the public. That _is_ their notice."

"What do we do?"

"I can help with the Dauntless born initiates, they need another trainer."

"No, let Isaac go with them."

"Theo, you should go with Peter." Four insisted.

"Go," Wren said. "It's for the best. Besides, that'll give us an excuse to be together later."

"Fine. So, you and Isaac will help with the transfers. Peter and I with the Dauntless born. But what about scheduling?"

"Just go over the fear landscapes, no week break," he looked at Peter, who disagreed, but kept quiet. "We'll start tomorrow and then test them, once we all agree they're ready. I know, normally they have a lot longer, but this is one of those times where being Dauntless helps them, they know to expect the unexpected. Plus, maybe since they should all know about the Quell, we can get them to train faster. I know, it's tough." Four saw my scowl. "But we'll get through it, and I'll help. Wren, you're in this too now. I hear that once you make it-"

"If I make it," she corrected. I kissed her cheek, she would totally make it.

"She'll make it, I have faith."

"Once you make it, you want to be an official. I know you'll be in, even if you weren't dating Theo. And don't give me that crap about fairness, because you know as well as I do that Tris-"

"She did well in the landscapes." Wren said.

"But not so well in fighting."

"Wren will make it in as fairly as we can make it." I gestured to all of us.

"Well, with that, Wren, you're in this too now. You have to help your fellow initiates."

"I can try," she got a tougher look on her face. "I will try. But what happens if I fail?"

"You won't fail. You'll have practice. But we need to get through this." I told her, completing Four's thought.

"Together." she took my hand and clasped it tight.

"I'm thinking that fair or not, Wren, you're going to have to make it in. It's Quell time." Peter turned to us.

"Just because it's Quell time does not mean she is going to be chosen. She'll make it in on honorable terms. Just like the rest of us." Four stated. That would be nice, if only she weren't Divergent. She told me that that was her worst fear and that came true, what about becoming a tribute? Would that be her worst fear come true too? I needed to protect her now.

"I'll make it in. I'll try to anyway. Maybe with Four there, he'll push me harder to be the Dauntless I need to be."

Just about that time, Isaac came in. It was about one in the morning. He had just heard the news, his face streaked with tears as well.

"Wren, Mels, Payton." were the first three names he rattled off when he came in. "We need you back to training, Four. We need it. I'll take on the Dauntless born with Peter. You," he gestured to me, "Take them. Four, help him." he started dictating, and for once, they listened to him. He gave the order so firmly that we all had to obey. Wren looked at me with a sort of fear in her eyes. This wasn't the Isaac she had known, but it was the one I knew. Of course, I was usually so happy, so optimistic with her. This wasn't the me she had known either. But she was trying hard to help, and that gave me hope. We were all frantic, worried about the people we love. Surely Four and Peter understood that.

"Alright, so it's settled then. I take the transfers with Theo, and Peter, Isaac, you take the Dauntless born. We start fear landscapes tomorrow, practice for two weeks, give the final test, and initiate members, all within a week of the reaping." Four stood up. I was reluctant to shake hands, but I did anyway. "I'll see you tomorrow, Theo, Wren." he shook her hand and whispered in her ear. I got a glimpse of what he was saying, and apology and something about the Divergents. How could he know? He was one himself, and Peter _did_ know, but only because he was trustworthy. He knew about me too, only fairly recently though.

Four and Peter left, leaving Isaac, Wren and I together. Eventually, he left as well, leaving me and Wren. She gave me a look of confidence, but behind that, I could see, there was a layer of fear, of uncertainty.

"What did he say to you?"

"That he was sorry I had to be a part of this, the chaos, instead of being told what to do. Then he said 'But such is the price of being Divergent. Don't worry, I can keep a secret.'"

"That was it?"

"I'm sorry I've caused so much stress in your work life."

"No, don't you dare be sorry. I would rather have you than anything else. Now I know why they've been so accepting. Because life took a turn for the worse."

"And they're good people. They didn't know this would happen."

"Yeah, that too."

"If we're safe, you had better cheer up, okay? Let's sleep. We have a long day ahead tomorrow. I hope I don't get nightmares from today."

"I'll keep them away." I smiled, and crawled into bed with her, holding her tight against me, hopefully never letting go.


	17. Chapter 17

_**AN: This one kind of skips through time a little, highlighting the major events and whatever Theo's perspective didn't hit. Hopefully you can follow along! Thanks for sticking with me, it's Quell Time! Happy Reading!**_

* * *

When Factions Collide

Chapter 17: Wren

One week was all it took to boost my confidence. One week was also all it took to send me spiraling down in fear. I didn't know what to expect, but Theo's reaction was scaring me. It was like he just knew something bad was going to happen. But then again, he was the pessimist in the relationship. I promised him we would get through it together, no matter what. Hopefully, not only did I convince him, but myself as well.

* * *

Theo woke me up by throwing a pillow in my face. Was that really necessary? Probably not. There were certainly better ways. Did I wake up? Yes. Did I want to kill him? Mostly. But I heard Peter banging on the door and I got up immediately. Right. Paintball time!

"Two minutes, get dressed and go to the trains," Theo said after apologizing for his violent wake up call. He wouldn't let me go without picking me up and kissing me, of course, affectionate as he was.

I waited about seven minutes before the other initiates walked there. Theo met me and I gave him a side hug as Peter came up with the others. I had always wanted to meet him, though, I admit, I was a bit scared of him. He always looked mad at me, and sort of guilty as well. He asked Theo if he wanted to be on a team or be a leader. I thought he would choose to be a leader, but he chose to be on a team. Noble of him. Peter gave me a tight smile and walked off.

"What was that?"

"Guilt."

"Oh. I still want to get to know him." I was interested in his past, his history with Tris.

We ran onto the train, all gathering in one car. It came naturally, getting and out of the cars. I needed no help and I was strong enough now to pull myself on. It was a good feeling. I smiled, looking proud of myself. Bri looked over and gave me a thumbs up, my practice made perfect.

Two minutes later we were all listening to Peter's instructions for paintball, the most infamous of Dauntless traditions. Peter and Isaac gathered in the middle of the car, searching for team choices.

"Theo." Peter picked first.

"Mels." Of course, he would pick Mels first. Peter probably wouldn't pick me. I saw Theo whisper something to him, probably to not pick Adam. I hoped we wouldn't be on the same team.

"Em." Peter brought forth a Dauntless born.

"Payton." The two of them, of course completing the trio.

"Wren." I was picked. I started forward, Theo smiling at me. Peter gave me a small smile and I nodded politely. I didn't really pay attention to the rest of the names after that, being picked myself, until we were stuck with Adam.

After Isaac's team left the train, we still had a few minutes to spread out and sit down. Peter came over to me and introduced himself as I sat next to Theo. Peter took a seat next to me in turn.

"So, Wren, I hear you're fast." he started.

"Yeah, I'd like to think so."

"You're certainly brave." he complimented, referring to being the first jumper. "I can't remember anyone as brave as you since Tris."

"She's my hero."

"She's everyone's hero." he nodded in agreement.

"Why don't you tell me about her?" I eased into conversation, wanting him to open up. He seemed wiling enough.

"I used to hate her, actually. She didn't like me throughout all the stuff we did together, and I didn't like her in response. She saved my life several times, though, and I only saved hers once. She forgave me at the end, I know that, but I owe her so much more than what I gave her." he stared off for a little bit before getting up. "She was brave, like you are. I just find you to be a lot like her."

"Thanks. It's not your fault, you know, that she died, I mean. You shouldn't let it get to you. The guilt will eat you apart."

"It's just a lot of remorse for what I didn't do, for not apologizing sooner, even though she was selfless enough to forgive me." he jumped and I followed, Theo landing behind us.

The game in itself lasted for a while, after planning the strategy for it. I was able to get the flag from the top of the carousel and I held it up in victory. I may not have come up with the strategy, but I helped to win it. Everyone looked at me with reverence, wanting to touch the flag. I felt Dauntless, not a new feeling anymore, I found.

When we went back to the trains, the other girl, Em, started talking to me. I found that we had a lot in common, including hating Adam. Although hers was a different reason. She had admired him from afar, and he of course didn't notice her. But she deserved so much better than him anyway. We started trading stories about initiation and our training when Peter called me over, talking to Theo about something important, I could tell.

"Yeah?"

"I give you my blessing." he said, referring to us, now aware of our dating. I hadn't realised Theo told him. Maybe he figured it out on his own, he was being rather clingy when it was just the three of us. It made me feel good, though, like something was going the way _I_ wanted it to, instead of the way someone else wanted it to go. It felt too good to be true. Hopefully I stayed this happy for a while. It was a first.

* * *

"What do you mean the Hunger Games are in six weeks?" Theo shouted at Peter. I stood by him, trying to tame the anger that was rising up in him. It had only been a week from the paintball tournament, and an okay week of training at that. Our week one scores were posted, with me ranking in third. Shame, that Adam and Caroline both stayed, with two Candors leaving instead. Maybe at the end they would be eliminated. Good thing beating the both of them boosted my score.

"Yeah, I know. We're going to have to reschedule around it. Fear landscapes start tomorrow. Four told me what to give you."

That was an interesting conversation. Theo and Peter continued to argue, and Peter finally went to go get Four and bring him into this. That was also interesting, I had never met him in person before. He walked in on Theo and I at the most inopportune time, but he was good about it. He was nice enough, but also firm. He shook my hand and smiled at me. I probably reminded him of Tris too. It wasn't like I tried, she was just someone I looked up to. But it was decided that he and Theo would take over the transfers during the fear landscapes, and Isaac and Peter would take over the Dauntless born.

"Wren, I'm sorry, but you're in this now." Four had told me. I felt like I had to have some responsibility, even though Theo said I could stay out of it if I wanted. But because of dating him and wanting to become an official, I felt like we needed to support each other, and I stayed. It was hard to accept that I was "better" than the others, but in that room, I was better than the initiates. Everyone in the room knew it, because we were all different. Maybe not Isaac and Peter, but they were Divergent sympathizers, so they counted. We all knew I was different and "more important" than the other transfers, but had to be secret about it, because that was still the imprint that Divergent left.

It took a while to calm down, and it became worse when Isaac barged in. After about an hour of discussion they all left, leaving Theo and I to our own devices. I wanted him to be happy again, but I knew being comfortable and real would mean sadness and quite possibly anger or pain. I just wanted what was best for him. Right now that meant rest. We would deal with it in the morning.

"Come on, let's get some sleep." I coaxed him into bed. "I better not get any nightmares from today."

"I'll fend them off from you if that happens." he gave me a long kiss, his smile coming back, although there was still worry in his eyes. He pulled me close to him and I accepted, curling up even more in his arms, making any space disappear between us, falling asleep while listening to the sound of his breathing.


	18. Chapter 18

When Factions Collide

Chapter 18: Wren

"Today, you'll be going into my fear landscape." Four announced. He was not so private now, he knew his four fears and was open, since most people knew anyway. It was just a part of the inescapable legacy throughout the war.

Everyone at first was surprised to see four walk in behind Theo. They kind of looked alike, but weren't related in any sort of way. They both had brown hair, and they had the prettiest skin, but Four was a bit taller, a bit more olive toned, crystal blue eyes, and had a short Abnegation cut. Theo had the deepest brown eyes, a fuller upper lip than Four, and his shoulders weren't quite as broad. He was like a stone cold fox when he wanted to be; when he stood still long enough he almost looked like a realistic statue.

There were murmurs going on in the eight initiates we had left. The attitude had changed as well. Everyone had heard the announcement last night and like Four had said, they were looking for guidance among them. Theo looked at me. I realised that I really was supposed to be this leader figure within the initiates.

"Quiet." I commanded. Mels and Payton looked over at me, supporting me. I had told them earlier what went on last night, and they seemed open. I was glad I had friends like them, so supportive. Hopefully after this mess, we would all start living together and spend more time together.

"Thank you, Stiff." Four continued on. "I've hooked it up to be public, so anyone can see into the landscape. You all are going through with me. Don't be alarmed." The landscape started and all of us were transported to the top of a tall building. Of course, it was just a simulation, but it felt so real as we all perched on top of the roof. I looked over the edge, along with Erin, who seemed to share my excitement. Four was not so happy.

"How do you stop and move on to the next?" Theo asked all of us, testing us. "Stiff, down from the roof." he yelled at me. This was when he was going to be cruel, I figured, because he was worried enough already. I wasn't upset, but I knew I was going to get an apology later.

"Move across to the next room. There's a path." Adam pointed over. We all walked along, Four first, leading us on and getting through his fear.

"I've been in this a hundred thousand times, at least, but I still can't get over them." he told Theo. We got to the next room, which was closing in on us as soon as we all went through.

"Claustrophobia." Erin whispered. Again, I was fine. She seemed to share the fear from her tone of voice.

"Just become as small as possible and stay calm." I said, shrugging. Four was even worse with this fear than he was with the first one. He was able to calm down enough to get through to the next room though.

"What? Interrogation?" Payton guessed at.

"Killing someone. Someone I care about." Four clarified, picking up the gun that was always there for him, probably. "It's worse now that-" he stopped and shook his head as he held it. I realised the girl was tied up and gagged, clothed in all black. She had choppy blonde hair. I immediately recognised her as Tris. He was afraid of hurting her, like he had almost done once before.

"Why can't you just unite her?" I suggested.

"Doesn't work like that." Theo snapped. He was taking every opportunity, making sure people found me strong enough to take the abuse. It made me feel a little bad, but it was all in just. Caroline seemed to be getting snickers in, thinking that Theo finally just couldn't put up with me anymore. I gave her a glower and she shut up, cowering by Adam.

"I can't untie her. The simulation isn't that easy. My fear isn't escaping and letting her go. That's what I _want_. It would never let me do what I want." His voice was tight. He closed his eyes and finally shot her.

The next door we went through was into a computer room. There was information about Dauntless and Abnegation. The old factionless leader, Four's mother, and Marcus, the old Abnegation leader, were standing and looking at the information. Tobias was no longer with us, instead in the chair that was hooked up to the machinery. _He_ was hooked up, and he had to find a way to get out. His fear was not only being an experiment, but facing his family. Facing betrayal. This probably spurred from the War. He struggled to get out, thrashing and finally jumping out, fighting against Evelyn and Marcus. When they were both down, he escaped the room and we followed, stopping the landscape and coming back to reality.

"This is the fear landscape. Each one of you will have a different one and will have to practice separately. You'll start today after lunch." he took a deep breath, still looking a bit pale, all of the fears still in his mind. I didn't know what I was actually afraid of, but I guess I would find out soon.

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_**AN: I changed Four's landscape a little bit from what it was with Allegiant. I know, it was very well written there, but I wanted him to have the same fears, but manifested in a different way. It has been four years since the war, he went in countless times to try to change them. The Fear Landscapes will be fun to work on, I can tell.:)**_


	19. Chapter 19

_**AN: This is kind of seeing into my mind because all of the fears in here are based off of mine or some of my friends (which are totally used with their permission). So in a way, this is kind of what I'm afraid of as well. Of course, some of them are just totally original to the story. You'll figure it out. Keep calm and Read on!**_

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When Factions Collide

Chapter 19: Wren

Lunch started out with chatter about the fear landscape, the transfers and the Dauntless born all gathering together. Bri, Nate, Mels, Payton, Erin, Em and I all sat together, our group now expanding. Theo, Four, Peter and Isaac converged with us as well, making our group the most talked about. Adam and Caroline sat on the edges, Tom off somewhere with the other Dauntless born, and the other transfer going with Tom, now that the two Candor were kicked out.

"What do you think people are going to be most afraid of?" Erin asked Payton. Mels and Isaac were having a debate, Theo, Four and Peter were scheming and taking a draw of what initiates they would oversee during the simulations, and I was with Em, Bri and Nate talking now about the Hunger Games.

"At least we'll be the earliest accepted initiates in Dauntless history!" Bri said excitedly.

"Yeah, but what if you get picked?"  
"We'll be fine. We're more prepared than anywhere else, I can bet on it."

"I don't know, apparently they've had one hundred years of the Games."

"So? We're Dauntless." Nate agreed with Bri on the subject. Em and I didn't look so sure.

An hour passed quickly, and we all went back to the fear landscape rooms. There were four of them. One for each trainer to maintain. We all lined up according to those that they picked. It was obvious when Theo told me to line up first, with Adam behind me. There were a couple Dauntless born I didn't know, but he must have gotten the first two picks if he got me and Adam, the one he loved and the one he hated.

I was up first. This was going to be painful, but I braced myself. Theo looked at me and whispered in my ear. He injected an orange looking serum into my neck and looked at me until I was transported into the first place.

"Be brave. I know you can do this." were the last words I heard when he whispered them tenderly to me. Of course, that was hard when the first face I found was Theo with not only Caroline, but all of the other girls in the initiate groups. I felt betrayed, and jealous. My first fear, I realised: fear of betrayal. How was I supposed to stop this fear?

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Oh, Wren. This was nothing." he laughed. This was a simulation. I felt a tear run down my face, but I pulled myself together and turned around. I had to think. How would I get out of this fear if it were real?

"We're breaking up. It's over, if you're going to be like this." I said, and walked away.

The setting changed around me into the place I was during the aptitude test. During the war. I didn't know what to do during this. A surly looking man came up to me and started attacking me. I didn't have to think about this. I picked up a gun and went Dauntless. My fear was of war, of attacking someone, but when I didn't think, it was easy to defend myself. I shot him, and once he fell down, I ran into the next part. I wondered if I would only have four fears. It was easy to identify them when I saw them myself, but I couldn't possibly think of what would be next.

A funeral. I was standing over the pyre of my family. All of them. I was the only one there. The rest of my friends lay scattered in the field my mind put me in. Loss. I was afraid of loss. I looked around and sat, and waited. There was nothing I could do to stop this, so I just waited and tried to calm down. Evidently, it worked, because I felt a cold floor under me. I also felt my wrists shackled to the wall. Peter, Isaac, all of the initiates were staring at me. I was in a glass cage. Why? Suddenly I saw my vitals being streamed on a screen next to me and I understood. I was afraid of my Divergence. I was afraid of keeping the secret. So what was the best way to deal with the secret?

"Yes, I'm Divergent!" I shouted at everyone. The shackles broke free, I was able to escape, but to a fate less than appealing.

The reaping. This was a new one, I hadn't been afraid of being picked. But I heard my name and stood on the stage, waiting for my competition. I was not alarmed anymore once I faced the fate of being picked, although there was more dread than fear. It didn't change. I didn't understand. Oh. I had to go with the Dauntless police onto the train that would take me through the Capitol. I needed to resign myself to higher power. Once I passed through the doors, it morphed again.

A more familiar scene, I was suddenly back in the fear landscape. Or standing, watching my own results. But it was with Adam and Caroline, their scores above me, ranked first and second while I was in the bottom slot. This fear was tricky, but I could name it: not being good enough. I hoped this one would disappear soon, once I was initiated. At just the thought of me being good enough for Dauntless initiation, the landscape changed. Well, I certainly had more than four fears. But how many? Why was my life so based around these fears?

I was in bed. Theo's bed. He came in and started confessing his love for not only me, but for Em. He told me he was choosing me, but only because we were already together. He still expected me to love him. This one I knew and I knew why. It was fear of love, insecurity. And I knew why, because I _was_ insecure, and I came from Abnegation. I _was _afraid of loving someone else, and I was afraid of admitting my feelings because what if I wasn't going to be accepted by the other?

"I can't." I told second simulation Theo. "I can't if you're going to be making a choice." the trick to this one was to be open with my insecurity. If I was honest about that, then it would go away. In a way I was glad Theo would be able to see on screen. Of course, he couldn't see the specifics, just the level of fear and if I had completed it. But if he went in with me, he would be able to know why this one takes such a precedence on my list, why it's a higher fear than some of the others. The simulation didn't switch. Instead, Theo got shot in the head, blood pouring out everywhere. Other Dauntless I didn't know came in and mutilated his body as he lay dying. They tried to put a rope around me as well, trying to make my death a violent one, but I refused, pushing Theo off the bed and running out the door, escaping from that fear, which was the best I could do to face it.

In the hall, I saw the old Dauntless leader and I knew that this fear sprouted from Tris. It was Eric. The one who worked for Erudite. I was in old Dauntless. The only way I could think to stop him was by killing him. I was supposed to face two fears at once then. I took a knife that was on the ground and threw it at him. It landed in his back. He turned around, but I charged forward courageously, and took the knife out, stabbing him in the gut. It was violent, and I didn't like it, but it had to be done. Dauntless was free now.

Free until I saw Jeanine coming towards me, the old Erudite leader. So I was scared of just the factions before the war then. How would I get rid of her? Inject her with the memory erasing serum. It was sort of like a manual reset Peter told me about when discussing his adventures. I don't know how I remembered it, but I used it on her, making her eyes glassy and her mind malfunctioning.

I came out of the fear landscape. But it didn't feel right. It still didn't feel real. It had to be though, because I wasn't as afraid. Until I saw Theo, Isaac, Peter and Four discussing me.

"She won't make it." one said, I couldn't tell who.

"She's the worst one here." I heard Peter tell them. They saw me, and walked over, and dismissed me from the compound. I failed initiation. And that was my fear. So how was I supposed to prove to them I was worthy? By getting myself out of the fear simulation. By calming myself down. I closed my eyes and took two deep breaths, and pushed open the doors of the Dauntless compound again.

When I walked in, I woke up. For real this time. I was sweating, my breath coming out heavily and shaky.

"You okay, Stiff?" Theo asked me.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm..." I looked up, remembering my now emerging earlier fears.

"What?" he looked concerned now, rather than steely like he had earlier.

"I'm fine." I narrowed my eyes and left the room, leaving him with a puzzled look on his face.


	20. Chapter 20

_**AN: Again, this one has a lot of fears that are totally real. They aren't mine, but they're from someone I know who was giving me suggestions. So have fun and Happy Reading~**_

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When Factions Collide

Chapter 20: Adam

I'm not afraid of material things. I have; however, made a series of unfortunate mistakes by letting myself be vulnerable. I guess that's why I chose Dauntless in the first place, to be able to get over that vulnerability; to be stronger.

Wren stepped out of the room with a look that could kill. Luckily, I don't think it was my fault this time. How bad could her fear landscape have been? She was only in there for twelve minutes. Of course, she was a fast learner. Brilliant, and fast. The first initiates were still in their rooms. I was the only one of the second line up to go in.

"Adam," Theo called sternly. "Don't be alarmed when you go in, you'll start in a minute." he seemed upset. There was a furrow in between his brows that made him just seem...more worried than ever.

"You okay?" I asked quickly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he said. Oh well, wasn't like he'd tell me anyway. I felt the background changing and closed my eyes, preparing for the worst.

It started off with everyone telling me my faults. I was wrong. Again and again I was wrong. I didn't like it, and I didn't know how to make it stop. I figured I would just have to calm down. After what seemed hours, I finally got to a point where the scene changed. Now I was in front of Wren. She was not angry at me, or mad, or in any way about to punch me.

"I don't hate you," she said, putting her hand on my shoulder. Her eyebrows knitted together. "I'm disappointed in you, and everything you've done." That was a blow to the gut. Again, there was nothing I could actually do, so I just calmed down. Normally I prided myself on my logic, but there was nothing but pure emotion within me. I cried. I fumed. I did everything that I shouldn't have done. I finally was able to calm down, after losing the truest love I had, I broke down quickly. This test ground people down to what they were made of. That was for sure.

My next fear was known. It was my fear of rejection. But not only was Wren there, but even Caroline, my last resort, was gone. This one I knew how to solve. I left. I left the compound. And my landscape changed again.

I was standing in the dorms with all the girls I had seen lined up. Caroline, Mels, Wren, Em. All there. All my mistakes. My feelings. I had to deny the rest and choose one. But what did I do? I couldn't do it. Funny how my problems seemed to revolve around one girl; Wren has been in every single one of them. I had to choose her, and deny the rest. I took her into my arms and the landscape changed again, leaving me alone with her. But she was talking to Theo. About me. Spilling my secrets. Everything I told her was leaving her mouth and going to Theo. I was afraid, not only for my credibility, but for my initiation. I couldn't get through this one, so I just had to calm down again. That part was getting easier to do, but the bad part was that I couldn't face my own fears.

The setting changed to me sitting in a chair, a searing pain going through my body. My only way to stop it was to reach the morphine, but even the movement of my chest as I breathed set my body on fire. I inched my arm over slowly, the pain growing more and more as I got closer to my solution. I finally grabbed the serum and plunged the needle into my body, and I screamed in agony at the very movement, and I breathed heavily as the pain washed out slowly.

I sat in the same chair as I watched Wren come in. My final fear. I was afraid of her. Not just losing her, but everything. I was afraid of how good she was, how much she hated me, how much of a threat she was to me. But this was two fears in one. A different version of myself walked in, because I was afraid of myself as well, and the danger I caused to others. I always found justification in my actions, and now I couldn't find anything.

"I'm sorry." I cried, and it was over. It was black.

I slowly drifted out of the simulation and was awake on the floor.

"Thirty two minutes" he said. Really? Less than an hour? I felt like I was in there for _days_.

"Really?"

"Average time, good enough." he said grudgingly. "Six fears, not bad."

"Is that good?"

"Yeah, but it's not going to improve your ranking. It's about _how_ you execute, not _how many._ You had to calm down for a significant amount, that won't cut it. But good on timing."

"It felt like more."

"It always does." he said as he gestured me out of the room.

I walked back to the dorms and saw Wren sitting on the bed, crying. She was trying to be silent about it, and she looked up as soon as I walked in.

"Hey," I said quietly.

"What do you want?" her wall came back up and she squinted her eyes at me, trying to be menacing. It didn't quite work with her red eyes and tear streaked face.

"What's up?"

"Nothing. Leave me alone." Now was my chance. Maybe I could get rid of my fears.

"No, tell me." I took her hand. She snatched it away from me.

"Just go...go talk to Caroline."

"She's still testing."

"Leave me be. I just want to be alone." she got up and went to the bathroom. Well, I tried, but even I was emotionally and mentally exhausted after that workout. I decided to let her be, the best decision for her mental health and my physical well-being, although I wasn't completely sure I cared anymore. My mind was stuck on her. I hope she trusted me soon enough.


	21. Chapter 21

When Factions Collide

Chapter 21: Theo

What had I done wrong? I know I was being tough on her, but that couldn't have upset her. So the question was what did she see in her fear landscape that made her so bitter? I couldn't focus on anything but the blips that she had. She faced most of her fears, but the way she seemed after, so distant, so cold, it was scary. It was more in the middle where the fear took off, I had to convince her to take me with her in there. I needed to see.

It was hours before I could finally get to her. And when I went to the dorms, where she always went when she was upset, it was a familiar sight. Wren, Mels and Payton, sitting and consoling each other. I didn't realise it would have this much of an effect on her.

I knocked on the wall and stood in the doorway. "Wren?" she looked up, her eyes red.

"What?" she spat at me.

"Wren, I want to talk to you." she got up, her back straight, trying to look strong in front of her friends. Typical. She came out and I closed the door.

"What do you want to say?" she was being very blunt. Mad, upset. Those were the only two emotions I could track.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry about today. I don't want to hurt you. But what were you so afraid of?"

"It's dinner time." she said.

"I'm skipping. Not hungry." now _she_ knew there was something wrong. Her eyebrows rose and fell again, trying to keep continuity.

"I'm not hungry either." she said, starting to walk away. I knew what she was doing. We were going back to her landscape.

I hooked her up, and injected the serum into both of us. Now we would both be going through. Her first fear was about me. I remembered the first spike in her adrenaline. I stared in awe as she got through her fear, turning to me when she broke up with simulation me. I tried to keep tears back. I didn't realise that I would be in her landscape. That was unexpected.

"That was only the first part." she told me.

The second part wasn't as bad, she was saying as she shot the man. It was still hard on her though, she didn't enjoy doing it. The third part was okay once she calmed herself down, because she couldn't find a way.

"You need to burn all of them. Closure is the real thing here." so she took a stick to each body and burned all of them.

"That took a lot less time, thank you." she smiled softly at me.

Her fourth fear was of Divergence, where she claimed it to the world. I was proud of her bravery, knowing not even I could do that. The fifth fear was hard even on me, but she got through it better the second time, although a tear fell from her eyes when she turned to look at me. That one was harder on me than it was on her. The sixth was one that I also found a blip on, and that one was hard for her. It took a little bit for me to convince her she was going to be okay.

The next one, I hadn't expected. It was the one that had the highest peak. I was declaring my love for someone else. I cried. I couldn't help it. She was so afraid of losing me. I knew she would be, but it was enough to be in her fear landscape. For as casual as she came off, she had grown as attached as I did. But the worst part was it was probably still far less than how much she meant to me.

"Wren, it's only you. I swear it is. This is real. This is the real me speaking now." I took her by the waist as she sat on the bed, telling the other Theo to stop. But then just when I thought that was it, a violent crew of assassins came in and mutilated my body, forcing us both out of the room to face Eric, and worse, Jeanine. The old factions. I hadn't realised this was a fear of hers. But she got through it better than last time, I could tell.

"How did you ever get out of this one?" I was actually confused. On the graph it came up as both calming down, but also facing her fear.

"Watch." she stepped outside the compound and gathered herself. She walked through the doors and I saw the scene morph back into reality.

"That's amazing."

"That's Divergent too. I'm going to have to find something different for that." she said. By calming herself down, she was able to walk back in and face her fear: the fear simulation itself. "So see? That's what I'm afraid of. I'm afraid of you, Theo." her eyes filled with tears and she sank into me, her arms and head against my chest. I couldn't possibly tell her enough that I loved her, she was the only one. Those were just words. I stood there and hugged her, my lips touching her hair. No, I would have to do something more. I had to reveal my own fears. I had to show her how much she meant. I had to face my fear landscape, with her by my side. I had to open up. I had to be real.

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**_AN: I am really cranking out chapters! It helps that I just reread Insurgent and THG recently, so I'm more in tune to what I want to do. So you all get like five or six chapters 'cause I'm in an updating kind of mood, and it helps that all my friends are like on vacation or doing stuff so I don't have a life! (Just kidding what are friends) so enjoy:)_**


	22. Chapter 22

**_AN: I kind of like writing from everyone's POV. There will probably be even more confusion as I add more, yay! Hope you enjoy the different persepctives, because I absolutely love them! Of course, I suppose you don't have to enjoy them, but I just hope you do. Thank you for reading, my friends, please review!_**

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When Factions Collide

Chapter 22: Theo

"Shouldn't we go down? People will be wondering where we are." Wren was now open again. It seemed that me going through her fears and reassuring her I was here to stay helped to build trust between us.

"No one will notice, or care." I replied hooking up the machine again, set for my fears instead. I pushed her hair back and caressed her neck as she looked at the needle, then at me, now aware of what we were about to do.

"You don't have to do this, you don't have to show me your fears. I believe you."

"Yes, I do. I want you to see me. For what I truly am." I said, pressing my forehead to hers as the landscape transformed.

"My first fear..." I trailed off, seeing simulation Wren at the choosing ceremony. She stuck with Abnegation rather than transferring, meaning I would never see her again.

"No, Theo, I have stronger morals than to stick with something I'm unhappy with." she trued to convince me.

"That's not the worst of my fears, don't worry." I calmed down enough to get through, though I was still upset that I had not found a way out, the simulation changed each time according to the person I cared most about. Last year it was Isaac, since he was my best friend. I pretty much knew what fears were coming, but I didn't know how they would manifest, now that they all involved Wren.  
The next one involved me and her in the Dauntless compound, but I was abusing her. I knew my power and my limits, of course, but it was Peter that told me to become more supreme because I _did _ have the power to do so, because I had authority. The only way to get out of it was to do something I could never actually do. The worst part, I was worried Peter _was_ like that, even though he wasn't to me or Wren. I shot Peter down, grabbed Wren, and ran. But I ran to the next fear, as it was in the same setting. Something worse than abusing someone because of a higher power: corruption itself. The familiar gleam in my eyes whenever I saw how much power I had, which is exactly what the simulation showed, turned up. I had so much power over her, so much authority. And there was nothing she could do to stop me. The real Wren; however, stood behind me and gasped, bringing me back.

I collapsed to the ground, unable to calm myself. "I can't do this."

She knelt down next to me. "Yes, you can. I'm here." she took my hands. "Take a deep breath." I obeyed.

"The fear is still here though."

"Look at me," she said. I raised my eyes to meet hers. "Feel my heart?" she took a hand to her chest and then set it to my own, comparing the speed. "Mine is slower than yours. Match the rate." I nodded, trying to slow my heartrate. I would need to work on this fear, I concluded.

The setting finally changed to me standing in front of Four, and the old Dauntless leader, Eric. God, I had heard about him before the War, but never knew him, as that was before my time in the compound. But now here he was, a higher power than me, and I was the one being judged. I never quite understood what the fear was, fear of a higher power or fear of judgment, but they both went hand in hand, so the simulation probably combined them. The only way I could get out of this one was to tell my biggest secret, of course being my Divergence. So I told him reluctantly, fueled by the support my girlfriend brought. That got me out of there and on to the next one. It was good to see Wren sympathize with one of my fears though, it made me feel like we were really in this together.

I was in the aptitude test, with Wren, testing her. The real one stood behind me, the simulation version in the chair. I tried to be brave and tell her to choose Dauntless, like I did before, and I don't know why confrontation was still a fear for me, but it was. I still had trouble gathering the initial courage.

"Dauntless," I told her before she walked out, "You could make it there, I want you there. You belong."

"Thanks," and the girl dissolved.

The girl behind me guessed at the fear. "Making a wrong choice?"

"No, confrontation, actually. But if we're on that subject, I'm glad you chose Dauntless, because you're the only choice that was ever right for me, the only person I've ever confronted with my feelings."

"Theo,"

"It's true. I could survive anywhere, but here, I thrive with you." I smiled, there were tears in her eyes as the corners of her mouth turned up. "The next one is painful. Even more so." I cringed at the sight. All of my friends, dead around me, gunshots and blood pouring out of them at their wounds. Wren was at my feet, her eyes blank, her mouth slack, still in the shape of what would have been a scream. We had a lot of the same fears, I then realised. An even more perfect match.

"Losing those close to you."

"But at my doing." I held up the murder weapon that appeared in my hand. One of my worst fears since the War, since I've been Divergent as well.

"You didn't do this, I know you."

"Yeah, you do." I confirmed as she tenderly rubbed up and down my spine, trying to steady me, since there was no way out. I let out a shaky breath, stepped over the body, and moved on. It should have been the end of the simulation. It wasn't.

This was a new one. We walked into a new room to see simulation me, and a simulation Wren dying in my arms, making a sacrifice to save me. Sacrificing her life for mine, like Tris. Of course.

"Oh God," I felt sick. I knew where the fear stemmed from, and I hated myself for originally thinking on it. It was what I told her _never_ to do. It was my selfish thought, manifesting itself in my fear.

"That was unexpected." she looked at the body.

"I don't know how to get out of this one. I never had this fear before." I was frozen in the spot I stood. My hands shook as the body became lifeless in his arms, in _my_ arms. My hands shook. Her hands enveloped mine, her warmth throughout my body, my _rea__l_ girl.

"You have to face her." she said about the body, her.

"I can't."

"You have to face this one."

I walked up timidly to the cadaver, and looked into the eyes. Her eyes. Blank, staring into me, but not staring at anything at all as well. Simulation me disappeared as I took his place. I saw real Wren standing on the other side of the shell that once housed her being.

"I love you. Only you. I can never let you go. I won't. Only in your memory will I ever be able to live. But I can never love anyone but you, I will never see anything besides your face, so why bother." I heard her suck in a breath. I had to continue. Why did these fears bring out the worst, and the best, in both of us? "I can't go on without you. It wouldn't be right for just one of us to live, when we can't survive without the other." I admitted, "I have to join you, in life or through death." I took the knife that was lying by her and was about to stab myself, but the landscape ended abruptly. That was it. I was out. I conquered it. Not very well, and I couldn't do it on my own, but I got through it.

"Now you know," I told her, "That my feelings are real. You have nothing to fear from me." I cupped her cheek, tears streaming down her face, down my face.

"I really do love you." she said softly.

"I always will. So much more." I responded in turn. "You're my life, my happiness, my pain, my fear, my hoped. You're everything I want, you're my soul. I need you."


	23. Chapter 23

_**AN: This chapter gets really confusing, so I just wrote out who's POV it switches to. That last chapter was fun to write, these next few are amazing too! As you can tell, I really find a grounding in Tris, because I kind of look up to her too, her bravery and selflessness I mean, so I use that as a baseline for the core character traits. It's fun working with my own original character:D Happy Reading~**_

* * *

When Factions Collide

Chapter 23

~Wren~

Today was it. I had completed my fear landscape, the final test to see if I could make it into Dauntless. I hoped my ranking was high enough that I could become a leader. The only person that was better than me in transfers was Evan, but then there were the Dauntless born. I saw on the ranks that they put out that I was third. That meant that at the ceremony today, I would be able to choose my job third! I made it. I was Dauntless. Today I would become a member of the place I called home. I had passed, and I was good enough. I would have been happier, had it not been for the reaping in two days. I was Dauntless, but not Dauntless enough to face walking to my death.

* * *

~Theo~

I knew she would make it. In record time for her, too. She was overseen by Peter, who was looking a little tired these days, preparing for the days to come. But she passed and was third in the rankings. I felt proud, and it eased part of my fears, especially since after the ceremony, we wouldn't have to hide anymore. There was nothing that made me happier than her, and now I would get to show that. Two weeks ago I couldn't have said that I was actually happy, not with what the Quell had in store, but although our fears had not changed, we were now able to get through them together without breaking down. And now that work paid off because she was a high ranking member.

* * *

~Wren~

At the ceremony, Peter spoke for a couple minutes and got on with it. Certainly not eloquent, but very short. All that really happened was each initiate went up, cut their hand like the choosing ceremony, and mixed our blood with the coals once more, confirming our lifelong loyalty to the Dauntless. One with each other, one with the faction. It was a literal interpretation of Faction before Blood. I looked at Theo as I went up and my blood dripped into the basin, his face in a grin. I beamed as well, facing my new faction. It was a moment that I would savor forever. However, my grin fell when I thought about the reaping, and I walked back to where I was sitting as they called the next initiate, Caroline unfortunately.

* * *

~Theo~

It was a shame they had to make it, Caroline and Adam. But I could wreck havoc on them later. Hell would be raised. I saw her smile fall as she walked down, and assumed that was why, as they called Caroline's name. She still seemed happy though, and that was all that mattered to me.

"You gonna kiss her?" Isaac nudged me.

"You plan on kissing Mels after this?"

"Absolutely."

"I don't know. I feel like I should, but I feel like she wouldn't want to be too public, Abnegation roots, you know?"

"Do it anyway." he encouraged. "What's the worst that could happen? People look at you weird?"

I blushed, there was a lot that could happen in terms of public and private reaction. She might not want it this early. But I didn't care what people thought, and if she didn't want it, then she could say something. I didn't want to be pushy, but I was going to do it. I would. I wanted the rest of the world to know she was mine, and I wanted her and only her.

* * *

~Wren~

I saw Theo and Isaac talking to each other, laughing at something. Then Isaac nodded his head in my direction and Theo blushed. I had to laugh; we were much more in tune with each other ever since we took the jump into our respective landscapes. Our worst fears matched up: losing each other.

"Are you happy? You won't have to hide anymore." Mels whispered. Of course, she was happy about not having to be secluded with Isaac.

"Yeah I am. I'm just worried about the reaping, you know?"

"I get it. But we get to search for an apartment too! Don't worry about what's to come. Focus on the now."

"That's true. We're still gonna share one, right?"

"Of course! Erin and Em are trying to get one near us too."

"We can try to get one near Theo and Isaac, they said that there was one we should look at by them."

"We'll see. Bri and Nate are trying to get with Em and Erin too, I think. The group, always together." she winked at me as Peter spoke.

"Now, you will choose your lives, your freedom, your jobs. Welcome to Dauntless, Members." And the room erupted in cheers.

* * *

~Theo~

I ran up after Peter ended the speech. I took Wren and hugged her, lifting her in the air and spinning her around in excitement, touching my lips to hers to gauge her reaction. She put her arms around my neck and deepened the kiss. I was glad not to hide anymore, and especially glad about her reaction, but I could feel stares on us from a few people around. When we broke apart, I saw Isaac and Mels, still in a hug, and Bri and Nate kissing quickly in celebration. Erin and Payton were in a long embrace, but the worst of it was Adam and Caroline. I couldn't stand looking at them for more than a second. They shouldn't have even been members, the cowards.

Wren laughed in my ear as she hung on to me, her chin resting on my shoulder. It was time for dinner, and people started heading to the Pit to eat. The initiates were still in the recreational part talking to each other, discussing jobs, and celebrating the fact that they were free, especially with no curfew to go back to. I was elated for her, and even more that she was ranked second, out of both transfers and Dauntless born.

"Congratulations, Stiff." Peter came up to talk to her about replacing his position, and Four clapped my on the back, separating us.

"I'm happy for you." he said, smiling with a hint of pain. Our relationship reminded him of Tris, I should have guessed at that.

"Thanks," I hugged him quickly, out of happiness and sort of a sympathy.

"I'm glad you two will be working together. Gives me a chance to keep an eye on Peter, and talk to him. I need someone there, you know? It's hard not having anyone who had the experience I had, although he can be a pain in the ass sometimes." he pointed at Peter.

"Yeah, shame that Caroline and Adam still got in."

"If they mess up, they'll be kicked out. Too bad they have a chance of working with us, but they're so far down that hopefully they'll be stuck with guard duty."

"Oh I can only hope. I just don't know how she beat two of the Dauntless born, she was ranked last for Christ's sake."

"Don't ask me, I'm not in charge." he put his hands up and laughed. "Let's get your girls and apartment, huh?"

* * *

~Wren~

"You're in!" Theo shouted as he came towards me, beaming and picking me up. He began to kiss me softly, and I kissed back for a moment. I looked at everyone after we broke apart, seeing the celebration. None of the other factions were this loud, I loved it. Things were finally turning right for the first time in sixteen years. So much so fast, but fast was good. Fast kept you moving, which is something I needed to do. Caroline sneered at me when Theo and I kissed, but Mels, Bri, and Payton looked overjoyed. Peter came up to me to talk about being a Dauntless leader in training, leaving Four and Theo alone.

"So, Wren, hear you're trying to take my spot?"

"Well, I wasn't looking at it like that, but..." I trailed off sheepishly.

He chuckled, ushering me forward a bit. "No, I didn't mean it like that. But do you think that you can start training right after the reaping?"

"Two days?"

"Yeah, Isaac, Theo, and I will train you, then in one month, I'll step down. Good to have a woman in charge for once, even if they're from Abnegation." he joked. I got the feeling he was only half joking. He left me to search for my friends alone, until I bumped into Em.

"What was that about?"

"Oh God, you scared me. Nothing really, Peter and all teaching me about leadership in Dauntless." I shrugged.

"Oh, that's what you want to do? That sounds awesome!"

"Yeah, I'm excited." I nodded.

"Good luck, I'm off to talk to Bri about finding a place to live. Isaac said he had something to show you guys. Have fun!"

"Really? Thanks for telling me. You too!" I waved and went to find my other friends. Here is where my new life started. Here is also where it ended.


	24. Chapter 24

When Factions Collide

Chapter 24: Wren

"Where is the thing you're trying to show us? Is it by you, Isaac?" Mels was quite loud as we walked through the halls.

"Actually," he paused and opened the doors, two doors down from his own. "This one is yours. We went and bought it for you ahead of time. Sorry I couldn't get anything closer, Peter and Four own the one next door. But this place has a hot tub, Mels." her eyes went wide. I laughed in shock and in humor.

"You're amazing." she kissed him. We had brought all of our belongings with us and started unpacking with what little we actually had.

"You can furnish as you go along." he noticed the lack of ambiance. We mostly had just clothing, because of the dorms and such. This apartment was more of a compound of rooms, three bedrooms, three baths, and a living room. As promised, a hot tub resided outside. The Dauntless knew how to live. It wasn't as airy or spacious as Theo's, a bit darker as well, but still very nice for a three person dwelling. It was certainly better than the dorms.

"I can't believe it. It's perfect." I started around in awe; I never had my own place before.

"Do you like it?" Theo wrapped his arms around me, chin on my shoulder. He wrapped my hair so it wasn't touching my face and kissed my jawline.

"I love it. Did you help?"

He nodded. "It was the closest we could get under the circumstances. But not too bad."

"It's alright, I'll live without you. You have a spare key, right?"

"Yeah, both of us do, no worries." he held up his chain with two keys that he always wore, the new second one being my apartment.

"Hey!" Bri walked in. "Oh, sorry, I should knock." she backed out, knocked on the door three times, and barged in again. "Hey! Look at you, third ranking, owning shit." she bumped into a lamp that was in the doorway.

"Now I see why you ranked closer to the bottom."

"I did well on the fear landscapes, thank you very much." she put her arms around all three of us.

"Where are you staying?"

"Nate's staying with his 'bros', and we got one a floor up from here. I'm happy with it. It's a nice place, perfect for all of us. We all want to be trainers too, so that'll be perfect for our schedules. Small, but all of us will be out and about anyway."  
"Yeah? Get to scare people, that's for sure. Though, you, a trainer? You're a bit...small."

"Shut up. I'm not clumsy either, I just happened to knock into a lamp in your new apartment."

"Don't break anything." Mels rolled her eyes teasingly.

She stuck out her tongue. "Shut it, Candor."

"Dauntless now, bitch!" Just then, Peter walked in, bringing bottles for shots. He shouted as Four walked in.

"Celebration!"

"Cheers." we all clinked glasses and downed a few shots. The strong stuff wasn't as good as I thought, but no one else seemed to be using chasers, so I just got used to the warm feeling in my chest. _That_ was a nice feeling.

"I wanna get a tattoo." I told Theo as everyone started talking. "Not tonight, but probably tomorrow."

"Of what?"

"Something Dauntless." I smirked, pulling him in for a long, hard kiss.

* * *

After about five hours of shots and laughing and the whole celebratory housewarming party, we decided to call it a night and just relax in our new home. Isaac and Theo stayed over, and Erin even decided to stay in with Payton rather than go up with Bri and Em.

"Tomorrow is your first actual day. You excited?"

"Peter said I wouldn't be doing anything until after the reaping."

"Right," his face fell at the last word.

"Hey, don't worry. It's gonna be fine. My name is in there three times. Some other Stiff will get it, if anything." That was a first, calling someone a Stiff.

"Yeah, I guess." He pouted. "I just don't want you to get-"

"Shh" I pressed my mouth against his to shut him up. It worked for a little bit. "Sleep. Tomorrow is the first-"

"And last," he interrupted, knowing where I was going.

"Day of relaxation." I completed my thought, slightly annoyed.

"Fine," he turned over, hogging the covers purposefully.

"Give it," I whined, and he tossed them over both of us, taking my hand before falling asleep.

* * *

_**AN: Cuuuute:P It's getting better! Or at least...I think so...I guess I can give you a couple more chapters today!**_


	25. Chapter 25

**_AN: Another confusing POV chapter, but definitely not one of the romantic ones. Oh no, now it starts. LET THE GAMES BEGIN! _**

* * *

When Factions Collide

Chapter 25

~Theo~

Today would put me in agony. I had decided that a while ago. Wren, being as selfless as she was, but also in her selfishness, wouldn't let me mope about it. I loved her for her optimism, which was fake, I could tell, but what if she did get picked? No one would volunteer for her. There _was_ a good chance of her winning, though, and I knew that. So I hoped that if worse came to worse, she would come home. No. I needed to stop thinking like a pessimist. She would have killed me if she knew.

* * *

~Wren~

"Theo, wake up." I pushed against the warm lump beside me, trying to get him up in time to go to the Hub. It was already eleven, reaping was at two and it took us about half an hour by train. It was the day, reaping day. No, I wasn't that excited, but I really wanted to prove him wrong, that I wouldn't get picked. I wanted Caroline and Adam to be, though.

"I've been up, love." he kissed my cheek.

"You've got to get dressed. Something nice."

"Yeah, Yeah, what are you wearing, Stiff?" he refused to stop calling me that, but I was okay with it.

"A dress." I had one laid out in my dwelling as of last night before I spent the night at Theo's. I was getting ready in my own place, though. "Come over when you're ready." I kissed him goodbye and got up, my hair a mess and my shirt sleeve falling down. Oh well, not like I was walking too far.

I got back and saw Mels and Payton doing each other's hair. Mels had hers curled, something she never did, as Payton relied on Mels' hands to braid it, delicately making each strand part of an intricate pattern.

"Morning," I said, stepping into the bathroom to shower. My hair would be going up today, nothing overly spectacular. But I did want to show off the tattoos I had gotten yesterday, one of the Dauntless crest on the back of my neck, and two little patterns going across my collarbone. My dress was black with a gold lace trim over it, fitted to my body perfectly, except for the sleeves, which flowed out. _If_ I was going to get picked, I might as well look the part.

"Damn, Wren!" Payton almost shrieked as I came out.

"Thanks, sweetie." I winked at her.

There was a knock at the door, it had to be Theo. I didn't want him here yet, I wasn't done! I had to complete my look with the eyeliner that I had bought and as it was a special occasion, Dauntless red lips.

"Don't let him in." I giggled a bit, I admit. It was about three minutes later that I sauntered up to the door and slipped out.

"Wren, you look-" his eyes were widening.

"Don't kiss me. You'll ruin them." I pouted to show off my lips.

"You look amazing." he finished, blushing.

"Don't you look dapper as well!" It was more of a statement.

We walked to the train hand in hand, finally in public, and burst out running to catch up to the train. It was about twelve thirty now. That was the good thing about Dauntless. Even though I was wearing heels, _everything_ was made for running. I was still easily able to jump on the train, heels and a dress.

Thirty minutes went fast and we jumped off a few blocks away from the statue in front of the Hub. There was a stage set up outside of it with two glass globes set on a table. One of the ambassadors from the Capitol, Anita, was here too, hosting the reaping. She was originally from here as an Erudite, and given the looks of her wardrobe, still felt loyalty to her faction.

"Gather in, gather in." she cooed, her voice soft. Theo held my hand tighter. "This year's Quell is an interesting one," she started. "Four tributes, as always, but this year, double the victors. Four victors will be coming home instead of two. With that, let's see who will be facing off." she went to the ball holding all the girl's names.

"Caroline Fletcher." Yes! She was the unlucky one! She would never make it. Caroline went up, teary eyed, to the stage and faced the crowd.

"Next, Wren Tailor." Theo's face froze at the sound of my name. My body froze as well, the echo still in my mind. I forgot how to breathe. There were no volunteers either. I never thought I would actually get picked.

"Wren?" she asked, and people started looking around at me, a few whispers going around from the people of Dauntless. Could this be a plot against the Divergent? What if Peter-no. No. I was just unlucky, the bad draw.

I let go of Theo, steadied myself and walked to the stage. My hands were balled into fists, my face flat, no expression. Once could say I looked Dauntless, but I could only say I felt dead.

"Now for the male category." she chose a name from the bottom. "Adam Standford." she called. Oh, not too bad, I would at least get to kill my adversaries before I died myself. He joined Caroline on the stage, tears falling down his face, a disgrace to _my_ faction.

"Hey, Wren." he whispered.

"Isaac Reems." was the next tribute. Oh, poor Isaac. But wait, there was a voice of dissent.

"I volunteer." That voice belonged to Theo as he stumbled up the stage to join me in my death, taking the place of his best friend.

"Very well. We have our four tributes." she said cheerfully. "Follow me."

No. No, no, Theo, with me. He could _die_ in these Games. I couldn't have that. The tears I was holding back spilled over my face. How could he do this, sacrifice himself? My only answer: so we could die together.

* * *

~Theo~

Her name was picked. Of all things, of all people, her name was the one to be chosen. Not even an Abnegation volunteered to go up. I had to go with her, protect her, make sure she stayed alive. I couldn't let her die.

"I volunteer." I gasped out as soon as Isaac was called. Funny, how fate played it. Four Dauntless tributes. Me and Wren against Adam and Caroline. There had to be a joke here, I was missing the punchline.

When I got on stage, Wren looked at me in horror. I was fairly sure our expressions matched. As we were ushered back into the Hub before being loaded on the train.

"You have fifteen minutes with your friends." Anita opened a door to a room in which our friends and family had been gathered into. In it, I saw Mels, Isaac, Bri, Nate, Payton, Em, Erin, Tom, Peter, Four, and even Wren's mother. Adam and Caroline had no attachment to these people and stood back in the corner, waiting. We all embraced each other, and I felt the love and empowerment come from these people that I had come to love, all because of the girl that I was holding onto, the girl I was going to die with.

"I'm sorry." Mels told us, tears flowing.

"I'll be fine."

"You'll win. You'd better win. I have faith in you. Anything we can do to help." such encouraging words of advice from all of these people, crowded around me and Wren. She was the strong one, grounding herself so I wouldn't have to, such a selfless act. I only hoped I could do something like that for her. I knew I would be able to. A laugh escaped at the thought of her living up to such an Abnegation standard.

Fifteen minutes too short, and we were ushered once more out of the room and onto the train, direct route to the Capitol.

"Should be about a fifteen hour trip. We'll be there by the morning." It was three now. We would be there by six in the morning. The doors closed after we were in, sealing us off from our home forever.


	26. Chapter 26

When Factions Collide

Chapter 26: Adam

I couldn't believe this, getting picked. I wasn't ready for this. How did I get to become a tribute, against Wren and Caroline? I would rather die. Hell, I probably would die. This wasn't fair. But we were boarded onto the train anyway, fair or not, with the crowd seeing us off the last thing we saw, and the Ambassador's smiling face the first thing when we turned around.

"You'll find your rooms two cars to the left, stocked with everything you might find yourself needing. Once you get settled, come back to the main car, here, and we'll see your fellow tributes." she said. She was too cheery to belong to Erudite. I blamed that on the capitol. I had made a series of unfortunate mistakes, but how did I end up here?

I went to my room and sat on the bed. Caroline changed in her room into a blue top and jeans, and sat with me in bed. I just really wanted to talk to Wren, honestly. She was the only person I actually trusted, who I could actually talk to.

"I'm scared." Caroline tried to get closer. I pushed her away. I didn't want her near me. I felt disgusted by her for some reason. "What's with you?" she sneered.

"What's wrong?" I snapped, standing up. "We've just been sentenced to _die_, and you're asking me what's wrong?"

"There are four victors, and we're Dauntless. We'll make it back."

I went to the door. "We were the last two in. And this is our fourth games. There are the other cities who have been doing this for one hundred years. Twenty two other better people, who know what to expect from a Quell. We're going to die. I hope you know that." I stormed out, going to the main car, grabbing a drink and sinking into the sofa that was there. Wren and Theo were sitting together, his arm around her, stroking her side, looking sullen. They had a happy ending in front of them, even if they didn't believe it. They would win.

Caroline came out a couple minutes later and sat down across from me. We all looked as the door on the right opened. Anita walked out into the room.

"Alright, time to meet your other tributes." she turned on the television there. The first city, Annapolis, the four tributes all looked different. The crowd stood on steps overlooking the water there. It made sense, they were a fairly pescatarian society, also responsible for jewels and pearls. But none of the others had factions like us, we were very self sufficient that way.

The two girls were both blonde, a darker shade for the one on the right, and one had tanner skin than the other with lighter hair. Both were tall and thin, but they also didn't look breakable. Their names were Aeryn and Cali. Aeryn had blue eyes and Cali with green.

"They're pretty." Caroline said, fishing for a compliment. She _would_ be doing that at a time like this. I rolled my eyes. I looked at Wren. She was paying more attention than Theo was, who had his eyes on the girl in his arms. He legs were slumped over his lap, her head on his chest. His arms were now wrapped underneath her knees and across her back, as if he were cradling her. I would never cease to secretly envy the security they found in each other. Though, the boys brought my attention back to the screen. Bale and Dameon were both dark haired, Dameon with darker skin than all of them. His eyes were colour of honey, and he looked built. I was scared of him the instant I saw him, seventeen years old.

The next city to go was the Big Apple, always eccentric, but classier than the Capitol's version of eccentric. One of the girls, Violet, lived up to her namesake by her fluorescent purple hair. The other, Yvonne, had pearly white skin, but the rest of her was plain. The male tributes, Ethan and Cristopher both wore their hair long. Ethan was a volunteer. I gulped. He was prepared.

As each city went, they got less and less threatening, but maybe that was their goal. When our city was reached, I saw Caroline in her black skirt and slim top go up. No, she would not survive. I hated thinking that, but she was prey. Wren looked breakable, had it not been for the fierce look she was wearing as she scowled at Caroline on the stage. _That_ bumped up her ratings. I didn't even try to look strong, my face red and blotchy. Theo bounded up as a volunteer, taking his place next to Wren, breathing heavily after Isaac's name was called.

The final city was of course, the Capitol. The tributes they managed to present never failed to look strong, but in the strangest of ways. They succeeded this year once more, presenting Royal and Corona as the girl tributes, and Felix and Callum as the males. After the Capitol signed off, two hours later, we all looked at the empty screen and thought about our competition.

"Fuck." I muttered. The rest of them started ahead.

* * *

**_AN: Thinking of names...I think that's the worst part. How to think of a semi original name. Credit to my friend for helping me think of a bunch of these names because I had no idea what to do. I was basically frozen in fear when I realized I had to think of more names. I suck at naming things. I think if I hadn't had an idea for my dog already when I got her, I would have named her "Dog". So names. That's all for today though, I'll be back soon! Have fun:)_**


	27. Chapter 27

**_AN: Okay I'm back and updating, sorry for the wait! It's been a little while, so you guys get like over ten chapters for waiting! It's gonna be so cool, I'm excited to do this, I've got the whole Games set up and everything is going swimmingly, so enjoy!_**

* * *

When Factions Collide

Chapter 27: Wren

We all looked straight ahead after the programming was finished. No one, except Adam, who cursed, said a word. We were too busy analyzing the others. At least, Caroline and I were, being Erudite minded.

"Well, if you would meet me three cars to the right for dinner, that would be lovely. You have an hour." she smiled politely and left.

I was still in my dress. I wanted to get out of it, but I didn't know what kind of clothes the Capitol stocked for us.

"I'm going to go change." I told Theo. He nodded and let me go, still sitting, but his eyes fixed on me protectively.

When I got to the room, I looked through the closets. As promised, there was plethora of clothing hanging at my disposal. None of them were black.

"Fine." I picked out a forest green shirt and patterned black and white leggings. I undid my bun, letting my hair hang down in tight waves. It looked good, but it wasn't the black clothing I was finally used to.

I stayed in the room for a little while, letting my guard down. I needed to be strong, I couldn't let Theo see me upset, that would make him feel worse. I cried. It was the first time I cried alone since I was in the fear landscapes, and even then, I wasn't too alone. I was supposed to be brave, not resign myself to die like this. So I guess that left me with one choice: to not die. There were four victors. What if I got me and Theo home? We wouldn't face death, no, instead we would be the ultimate Dauntless. We would be victors of the Hunger Games. I had a new found courage. And that made me get up, walk out of the room, into the dining car, and sit down.

"Hey," I sloppily and quickly kissed Theo.

"Oh, um, hi." he blushed, taking a sip of water. "You're happy." he gave me a one sided smile before Caroline and Adam showed up.

"Well, seems like you all know each other," said Anita as the first course started.

"We're all from Dauntless." Caroline said snidely. Ugh, her voice. I didn't realise it could get higher than a dog whistle. It was so annoying, so nasally.

"All of us are from the same initiate class, sans Theo," I clarified, much more politely. She gave me a look that could kill. I wanted to piss her off. I smiled back. Now I had an excuse to kill her. Might as well play with my food.

It was a quiet dinner after that, Anita didn't try to keep up conversation with us except for announcing the courses. I felt more Erudite than Dauntless with the quiet atmosphere, Caroline must have felt right at home.

Theo and I left right after, around nine, to go to bed early. We both used my bedroom, since there was plenty of room, and sat in bed. He turned on the television and saw replays of the cities and their tributes, wondering which ones were going to be competition, and which ones we could automatically rule out.

"I love you. I really, really want you to know that." Theo rolled on top of me and started kissing my neck.

"I know. And I love you too. Now I need to say it more. Make the most of it. But Theo-"

"Sh, don't ruin it."

"We can make it out of here."

"You really don't know the meaning of the word 'romantic', do you?"

"No, but I know the meaning of staying alive." I sat up. "We could be two of four victors. Plus, we have experience fighting. We _can_ fight, we have that advantage, that's our job. We know how to manage and make fear. Others can't."

"But others have more experience. They've been through one hundred-"  
"See, I've thought about that. And my conclusion is so what?"

"So, they know what to expect."

"But how can they apply it with three days worth of skill?"

"Okay, but they also know how to please the Capitol."

"We've been through war."

"True."

"We've been trained to fight. Staying alive is literally our jobs."

"Okay."

"We're _Dauntless_."

"So we're brave." he shrugged.

"Exactly." I smiled, my laughter growing louder as he lit up with recognition of my idea.

"We really can make it. We'll win!."

"Now you're catching on." I was proud of myself.

Around ten we started to doze off. We would be there around six, another early morning, and I needed as much sleep as possible before fighting. We couldn't stop being close to each other, knowing we would be fighting against everyone else soon. Anita had gone over the schedule for the Games. Tomorrow we would be styled and chariots would lead us to the center of the Capitol, where we would be taken to the training facility. Then the next three days would be training, and the fourth would be interviews, to get the Capitol people to like us. The fifth day was the start of the Games, where Theo and I would be tag teaming it against everyone else. So I had five days to be with him. Then, we would start killing people.

"Goodnight. I love you." I would never stop saying that to him if we got out alive.


	28. Chapter 28

When Factions Collide

Chapter 27: Wren

I woke up in the middle of the night, panting. I had no sense of time or space at all, I just panicked. I had dreamt that I was being killed, not such a rare occurrence for the tributes, had it not been for my killer: Theo. I had woken him up next to me, his first reaction to sit up and look around for whatever had attacked me.

"Wren, Wren. What's wrong?"

"I..." I gulped down air, "I don't know."

"You're panicking." his hand cupped my cheek and he turned my face so I would be looking at him. "Hey, sh, it's okay." his thumb rubbed across my cheekbone. That little action made me break down more instead of relax me. "Is it the Games?" he had never seen me this distraught about anything ever before.

I nodded. "Partially. I had a dream where you killed me."

"You know I would never do that."

"I know." I wiped my eyes.

"Come here." he scooted over and laid me down next to him, pulling me closer. "You smell really pretty." his face was in my hair, taking in my scent. I had to smile, he really wanted to see me happy, even in the middle of the night. It had to be about two in the morning. I couldn't be strong right now, and he knew that. Here he was, right by me, here he was for me. I breathed out shakily.

"It's okay, we have about three more hours to sleep. Sleep. I'll keep you close." He kissed the back of my neck and I fell asleep quickly.

* * *

Five in the morning we woke up to Anita's voice. She kept knocking against the door, waking us up.

"We have an hour til we get there, up up!" she shouted into the room cheerfully.

"Good morning."

"You ready?"

"No, but we might as well look brave anyway, no one will tell the difference. Let's get a shower."

"Alright, see you in a bit." he went to his room to shower, making me get up as well.

It felt so good to stand in the hot water, the steam rising around me. They had the same showers as Dauntless did, so that was a plus. I was glad not _everything_ was Erudite or Capitol made.

I got out and left my hair down. I really didn't care, they were going to do stuff to it anyway. I dressed in a red shirt, not wanting to touch any of the blue hues of Caroline's old faction. The only black pants they had were dressy and silky, but it would suffice for an hour. They were very loose like the slacks we wore in Abnegation. I didn't mind because they still looked a bit Dauntless in the form of it.

I walked out of the room to get breakfast, passing by the wet bar in the main car. What the hell, why not. I took a glass and filled it with the strongest liquor they had, downing it quickly. That should get me through the next hour at least. Hopefully they had more at the training facility.

"Finally." Caroline looked at me when I came in. I was the last one there. Had I really taken that long?

"Good morning, Wren. How are you? Did you sleep well?" Anita was a bit kinder in her approach. She was at least attempting a conversation, and I would play along, okay.

"No, actually. I didn't sleep as well as I thought I would."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. What ever is the matter?" Fake compassion. Cute.

"I just miss my friends, is all." I wiped a fake tear away. If I could even partially gain her sympathy, that would be to my benefit.

"My condolences. Hopefully the rest of your nights will be easier."

"I hope so." I nodded and took a roll.

* * *

Forty-five minutes passed and Theo and I looked around the train, heading to the last car. It had a glass roof to see out of. We looked out of the top, seeing new buildings pop up.

"We must be within Capitol limits." he said.

"Wonder what kind of place it is. It must be so strange, that's what it looks like from television."

"So are the people." he laughed. We looked more, seeing more and more strange looking buildings. It wasn't the Chicago I knew, it was much more...I don't know. Cleaner, newer, almost more advanced, thanks to the Big Apple and Erudite systems in the city.

The gates we stopped at a few moments later held hordes and masses of people, loudly awaiting our arrival. I didn't know we would be revered so much, I just assumed we were coming here to die.

As soon as we exited the station through the parting crowds, there were cars-really advanced, not Chicago cars-waiting to take us to get ready for the chariots. The girls went in one and the boys the other. I was stuck with Caroline in a vehicle for twenty minutes. No one said a word the entire trip. I was fine with that.

When we got to the building, it looked like a warehouse, we were whisked away by the stylists. The stylists picked the tribute, so I had no idea who was taking me. I was scrubbed down and showered. Not for a health precaution, but rather for the price of beauty was my skin lathered with creams, scents, and different lotions that I couldn't tell what was for what. I was stripped down and placed in a chair, people working on my hair and skin over me. My stylist oversaw everything, and said his name was Jada. A pretty Capitol name. When I said that, he smiled at me softly. He fit the part of the Capitol stylist with his skin, tattooed in several places with vibrant colors, and his clothes a bit bright and eccentric, but he himself seemed more resigned, his hair short and black, spiked up with gel.

"Do you mind if we dye your hair? I promise it'll come right out."

"Do what you want, as long as it isn't permanent. I don't want to be too Capitol, I'm Dauntless."

"Nothing we do will stay. Besides," he injected me with something and whispered in my ear. "We have more Dauntless technology that the Erudites haven't developed yet." he held up four fingers as he walked away.

What did that mean? Dauntless got all their tech from Erudite. Wait, four fingers. Four and Peter used to talk about the progress that the technical workers were making, that we might surpass Erudite in some forms of human tech. That could be it. But that would mean the Capitol was harnessing Dauntless technology too. It must have been a prototype project, they got most of their tech from the Big Apple.

"Dye it lighter." he told the others, who coated my hair in something slippery. "This will make sure it washes out." he told me.

* * *

By the time he was done with me, it was about five. The chariots came at seven. Where had the time gone? My skin was clean and bright, well, brighter and cleaner than it already was. My hair was a lighter shade of red, closer to my natural than to the burgundy I had, and it was pinned back into a bun. The dress I was to wear was grey, a robe like, regal, Abnegation frock.

"I have it set on a timer, when they initially see you all, it will look like four different factions. By the time you reach the circle, you'll all be Dauntless. I can't take the credit, the idea was created by a stylist a while ago named Cinna. I just resurrected it."

"Is it the same for the hair and everything else?"

"All of it. It will...sort of dissolve into a different layer. Not really dissolve, but that's the closest I can think of. You'll see." he smiled. "Let's get you in."

Going out to the chariots, I suck a peak in the mirror. Yes, I was regal, but I also looked like a Stiff. I wasn't sure if I liked it.

"You look good." Theo complimented me. He looked good in his Erudite suit. As promised, we all represented our old factions. Caroline was even in a sturdy blue power suit as well. I was the only one wearing a dress. I felt as Stiff as I looked.

"Places." Jada said. We all boarded the chariot, standing in the back of an open carriage with the five faction symbols and black horses. We would be first, as we were the closest to the Capitol roughly.

"Let us welcome our tributes." a voice said over loud speakers. I instantly recognised the voice as Caesar Flickerman, the public television speaker. Such a Capitol name. I despised it.

The cart jolted and there was an eruption of cheers from the crowds that had lined the stands and the streets. I saw us on the screen, looking too in place with the factions as everyone else went Capitol style. But wait, the dissolving of the first layer was taking place in all of us. It was almost sort of...fading into another layer, into something else. The light hair I had disappeared into a darker burgundy, and my clothes turned slowly to black, the grey dress disappearing into a black sleeveless dress. This was not only Dauntless, but Capitol. The grey heels turned to gold, as did the eye shadow and lips. I could say the same for my counterparts. We all matched as one. The crowds went wild at the transformation. All the other tributes looked good as well, but the factions were represented well through this. I smiled. This was much more comfortable, and I trusted Jada with anything he wanted to do.

"Welcome to a century of Hunger Games." our national President, Plutarch Heavensbee, announced. "We're glad to have you, brave tributes. In five days, you'll be competing in an arena against each other. There will be four victors. We ask you to enjoy yourselves in the time being, live the Capitol life." he smiled and drank something, I think it was champagne. I never saw it before, that was more Erudite and Candor than anything we had. "From henceforth, let the Games begin!"

More cheers. Cheers to send us off to almost certain death. My smile faltered. Theo grabbed my hand, seeing my face fall. The Chariots pulled into a loading dock and we all stepped off in front of the training facility.

"Let's go," he said as we walked into the building, the sun setting behind us.

"It's nice because we get the top floor, but bad because it's the top floor. Heights." Anita said when we reached the elevator.

"You don't like heights?" Adam asked. He hadn't said much until now.

"No, not at all. I admired Dauntless for their compound and their daring abilities."

"Thank you." I smiled.

"Here we are," the elevator dinged. "The penthouse." floor six, the top floor, as promised, and our temporary home had the expanse of the floor.

We walked through the mahogany door, looking into the layout. I already knew things in the Capitol were sophisticated, but I never realised how royally we were going to be treated. It was all so breathtaking. Even though the strange people, the outlandish personalities and lifestyles, all made the place seem a bit odd, the work they put into their private lives amazed me. The moment I walked in, I saw a dining room on the right, with an array of colored lights in the ceiling, giving it a warm glow. There was a set of stairs leading to the bedrooms, two on the right and four on the left, for the tributes and the ambassadors. A set of stairs coming down off the entryway also led to the living room, with all the latest Big Apple technology.

She clasped her hands, bringing my attention back to her. "Take a look around, explore, and meet us for dinner in thirty minutes."

I looked up from where I was to see a great crystal chandelier hanging. "This place is incredible."

"You wanna see what kind of tech they have in the bedrooms?" Theo sounded sort of excited.

"Yeah, sure, let's go." I was still in awe of the décor.

"Anita?" Caroline asked, interrupting my train of thought.

"Yes?"

"Are we allowed off the premises?"

"Yes, but only until midnight, when they lock the doors." Lock the doors. So we won't try to escape.

"Thank you." she said generously. It was so fake I could have laughed.

We went up to the bedrooms and looked in. The beds were round, not the rectangular mattresses I was used to. There were windows that had projections of different places, all at the touch of a button. The bathroom was my favourite, housing a grand shower, a jacuzzi tub, and a sauna.

What I needed to do was get out of the clothes and heavy makeup. I wondered what he had injected in me, feeling the spot over my neck. The clothing options I found, were better than the ones on the train. There was a loose fitting black halter top with a jeweled neckline, and they had black jeans. Probably expensive black jeans, but the clothes were all at my disposal, so I could wear whatever I wanted. That was all I cared about. I grabbed some heels and braided my hair, but realised I would have to walk in these because I could not run in them. They weren't made for running, such a shame.

I met the rest of the Dauntless and Anita at the table, everyone dressed not according to faction, like I was. Even Theo sort of went Abnegation, gray shirt and black jeans. Why was I always the last one, and the only one to represent Dauntless? Where was the loyalty?

* * *

We dined and ate and stuffed ourselves, now around nine thirty. Caroline and Adam went out to explore the city, while Theo and I stayed for a little while. I had a drink, and asked Theo what he wanted to do.

"Let's go to the roof and jump."

"I can't!"

"Why not?" he smiled, teasingly.

"I'm in heels. Not Dauntless heels."

"Take 'em off."

I shrugged. "Okay."

"Really?" it was his turn to be surprised.

"It's only like sixty feet down. We can make it."

"Fair enough."

We ran like children up the stairs to the roof, which had a huge hanging garden across the top. They probably turned on the force-fields that Anita talked about at midnight, curfew, so there was no need to worry about that yet. There was also another building about half as tall as this one about fifteen feet away. I decided to jump onto that one first and jump to the streets from there.

"Let's go!" I daringly jumped across, heels in one hand and rolling onto the other building. Not my most graceful entrance, but it did the job. Theo joined me, landing more gracefully than I did. I jumped down as soon as he made it across, and landed on my feet this time.

"Okay, _that_ was fun."

"Wait til you go zip lining back at Dauntless." he laughed.

"Let's walk around?"

"Let's." we found each other's hands and held on, close by each other at all times.

"I'm so glad we get to do this publicly, even if we're not at home."

He and I walked around, listening to the sounds and enjoying our time around each other for our final five days. It was almost hard being apart from each other, so luckily right now we didn't have to be. This was really the only time we've ever been so touchy-feely with each other, so I gave us credit.

An hour later, we decided to call it quits and go back to the building. We took the elevator up and went back into the room, with me still in awe of the dining room. I ran to bed, mostly for the fact that I was avoiding the other two, who were sitting on the couch in the living room. Theo said he would join me, and I got changed and climbed into bed, falling asleep very quickly. I almost didn't feel his hand slide across my waist as I passed out, exhausted from the day's events, and nervous for the days to come.

* * *

_**AN: Kind of introduces you to the changes the Capitol made, although not many, and I had to keep around some characters. Since it never really said who became the next president in the HG, I kind of rolled with Plutarch being it, so there's that. Sorry if I didn't read deep enough, I'll have to go back and research what really happened. Other than that, hope you like what's to come:)**_


	29. Chapter 29

When Factions Collide

Chapter 28: Theo

I woke up around eight, the last one up. Shit, training began at nine. Well, this would feel different. Haven't done this much training in about a year. I got up to shower and saw Wren in the sauna. Maybe the last one up, but not the last one out.

"Hey," I laughed at her. She looked startled to see me.

"Oh, hey, what's up?"

"Just woke up and realised that I have to work out today."

"Like being an initiate all over again." she shook her hair out. It was all frizzy.

"I'm going to shower. Meet you in here in a little." I hopped into the shower quickly, turning the scent off. She always used it, but I didn't know why she would want to.

I got out and changed into a bathing suit, and sat in the sauna with her. She had a public program on, talking about past Hunger Games, so maybe we could learn more of what to expect. I laid down on her leg, putting my arm under her. She ran her hands through my hair absentmindedly as she watched. Not good enough, too hot for both of us. I got up and laid on top of her, resting my head on her chest. That lasted all of about two minutes before she couldn't take the heat.

"Let's go get something to eat before training." she got up and left, practically dragging me with her.

"It was just getting warm." I smirked. She rolled her eyes and shook her head at me.

There was a grin on her face. "Yeah, that's just what we need. Things to get hotter than that sauna." she put on the training clothes we were given, a fitted green shirt and grey pants. Everyone got the same clothes.

We walked downstairs and got a couple of things that were sitting on the table. Caroline and Adam were having the full sit down meal, which was probably not the best thing to eat for what I was expecting to do.

Sure enough, when we got down to the training room-no, that was too small of a word. When we got down to the training arena, I found two sections to it. One was the offensive section, hand to hand combat, knives, bow and arrow, all of the fighting tools, and the defensive side, with life skill techniques. I would start in the life skills. Everyone else except for the Dauntless started in the combat zone. The four of us knew enough fighting techniques to last a lifetime, which would probably work out in our favor. Wren agreed with me and followed me to setting traps for hunting. Caroline was milling around to each station, but Adam decided to come with us. I guess he valued his life. We were not looking to meet other tributes, although they all looked friendly with each other. Even though we had only visited four stations be the time lunch started, we had mastered all of them, unlike Caroline, who tried it once and was done. The three of us had mastered fire building, trapping, which plants were safe to eat, and how to make tools. I figured after lunch we could start at the offensive side.

* * *

Lunch itself was quiet, no one really talking to each other. Even the Capitol kids, who should have been used to the people, were very to themselves. Everyone ate fairly quickly, getting back to training with as much time possible.

"Are you doing combat now?" Adam increasingly tried to get in with us, and for his sake I didn't punch him. It was Wren who answered.

"Yeah, I'm throwing knives. Theo's doing hand to hand combat."

"I'll follow you." he chose her. She gave me a sort of 'help me' look, but I put up my hands and shrugged. I really wanted to see what I could do, it had been a year since I actually fought anyone.

I went in the rink against one of the trainers. He seemed strong, and I could assume he knew his technique. I didn't know how much Dauntless fighting would help against him, but it turned out that it was more than he knew. By the time I got out, I only had a few scratches and a couple minor bruises I could feel forming. He was much worse off, with about five bad bruises, and a bloody nose. I tried going easy on him too, not actually wanting to hurt him. Oops. I had also gained quite the audience of mostly girls, but a few guys trying to measure up to my strength. Didn't realise I was so attractive while I was beating someone up unintentionally.

I wondered if it all amounted to what they injected into my neck the other day. Four was telling me something about that I couldn't remember before the Games, and my stylist brought it up as well. I didn't know who else had it, but it had to help somehow.

"Theo, Chicago." I announced to everyone, attracting a lot more attention. Even Caroline was fawning over me a little bit. The only one who wasn't was Wren. She did look back a couple times and smile at me, but she was busy throwing knives, attracting her own little audience. She pointed at me, in a gesture of dedication, and threw a bull's eye. There were several boys crowded around her, but none of them were able to catch her attention. The same went with me. I walked over to her and clapped my hands on her shoulders, putting her aim off. It still hit the target, about an inch away from the middle. This seemed to move all the male tributes away as they saw us together.

By the end of training, we had gained a few fans and a few adversaries as well. Wren started teaching me knife skills, and I promised I would teach her more about combat the next day. I felt more competent coming from Dauntless than a lot of other people probably did, gathering by the looks on their faces, and by the time for dinner, when we left, I felt confident that we would make it out.


	30. Chapter 30

When Factions Collide

Chapter 29: Adam

Jesus, she was a good shot. I never realised how accurate she was. I was definitely going to stay near her, Caroline could die if she had to. She wasn't even trying at anything there, instead just going about, walking around, wasting her time at each station. But Wren, oh this girl, she would be able to survive.

"How do you do that?" I asked.

"Do what?" Boom. Another knife stuck in the middle.

"That." I pointed.

"Dunno, just talent I guess."

"Could you, I don't know, teach me?" I admit, I guess I was a little flirty about it, because she narrowed her eyes and turned back around.

"Maybe tomorrow." she said. There was a bit of a crowd starting to watch, but she hardly noticed. The only thing she was aware of was when Theo came and distracted her, and even then he only made her aim off about an inch. With that display of dominance, the crowd dispersed and left to go back to their floors, us included.

"You seemed to have a few admirers." Theo said while we were in the elevator.

"So did you, all those girls eying you up." she responded, winking at him.

"Too bad you weren't one of them. I might have had a purpose to impress the crowd then." he smirked at her. Caroline groaned softly. Don't know why she didn't like it, she tried that with me everyday. It just never really worked out for her, so she was upset that they were so smooth with it. I couldn't tell her how jealous I actually was. I wish Wren and I could joke around like that.

We were let off at the top floor, and I went up to change. Caroline followed me, always wanting to make a show of it. At first it was cute, but now it just got old and sort of annoying as she made me watch.

"What should I wear? There're so many more choices than black now."

"Something blue, I guess. You've been wearing it a lot." I suggested dully, lying on the bed in slacks and a yellow shirt. Everything in the Capitol was so dressy, but it was so comfortable too.

After her little spectacle, we all went down to wait for dinner. I saw Wren and Theo on the couch together. God, did they look like a couple. How long had they been dating? The only time I ever saw them together before was right after the member ceremony. Had they been dating before that?

My eyes shifted from the male around what should have been my girl to the woman herself. A plum dress skimmed her thighs, pumps lining her feet. The true definition of sophistication, unlike Caroline's low cut blue dress. She went too far sometimes, well, all the time actually. But yet she acted so innocent. That was laughable.

"Scoot." I asked them, trying to be a bit friendly. They wouldn't have it.

"There is another couch literally two feet away." well, no more amity from her, guess she left that for knife throwing. That might have been the reason.

"I want to see the television full on."

"Fuck off." Theo said in no uncertain terms. At least Wren was a bit nicer than that.

"It's okay, we don't need to be with them. Especially since this Abnegation girl isn't being so selfless."

"I am not Abnegation." she growled.

"Let's just go, Caroline. Don't start anything." I pulled her to the table where they were serving dinner.

The couple joined us a few minutes after we sat down, Anita calling them over. There were so many things being set out, I wanted to stuff myself. But I didn't know whether I should gain weight for the Games, or lose it to make muscle. I chose to gain it.

"Well, how was training?"

"It was okay, I guess. Didn't really get too much fighting in." Theo said, nonchalant.

"Are you crazy?" Caroline started blatantly talking him up in front of me. "You were amazing. You were able to beat a trainer. Not many people can say that. You deserve to be in Dauntless, you deserve to make it out alive. I have faith in you. I would formally ask for an ally like you, but I already know we're a team." she batted her eyes.

"We're really not. And I don't want allies. Wren and I make a pretty good team with just ourselves." he glanced over at his girlfriend, whose lips were in a line, picking at her food. I started talking her up now, Caroline was out for blood. I couldn't sit here and watch.

"Wren," she lifted her head to acknowledge me, "I think you did a fantastic job with knives. If they put some in the arena, you're going home. Even if they don't, when I saw you make your own weaponry, you made a fantastic knife. Your combat skills will serve you well too. You made it in for a reason, I believe in you. Show 'em what you got. You and Theo." That last sentence took a lot out of me to say, but it got the point across, and would shut Caroline up. Well, I would get a beating later, but I had to defend her, she was the innocent one here. Even Theo smiled at the sentiment I made. Maybe I was getting somewhere.

"Well, sounds like an exciting day!" Anita said.

"She had admirers, fans, really." I continued on.

"Oh don't start, the only reason they liked her was because she's easy prey." Caroline snapped.

"No, I think they liked her because she can actually aim. And kill things. People would give a lot to be your friend, your ally." I told her.

"Thanks." She responded, a faint smile gracing her face for a second.

"Theo, you could definitely get allies, if you wanted." I talked him up kindly as well.

"No, I think Wren and I are good. Of course, that raises the question, would you be my ally, Wren?" he asked formally.

"Of course." she smiled wider now. My heart sank a bit, I was almost hoping she would say no. Who was I kidding, of course she wouldn't. This was Theo.

"Excuse me," I said, getting up from the table. I had to go somewhere. Now that I wasn't denying my feelings, they grew too strong. I wouldn't mind them, had Theo not been in the way.

I went to the roof, and sat on the ledge, watching the city. This wasn't fair. I didn't want some trophy girlfriend. I don't even know why I went after Caroline in the first place. She was pretty, yeah, but she came on to me. I just find myself so compatible with everyone that I had to give her a chance, and she wasn't going to let me go. I was her trophy boyfriend too, I could tell. She expected so much but gave so little.

It had to be about an hour that passed when I heard a set of footsteps come up. They were light, certainly not Caroline's heavy plodding. But who knows, maybe it was her, coming to lecture me on not flirting with any girls. Well, she was flirting with someone who was taken, why couldn't I?

"I'm not in the mood, Caroline. I'm sorry. I just want to be alone."

"I'll tell her to fuck off." the voice said. It wasn't the nasally voice I was used to. It was the bell tone voice, the one I yearned to make giggle and smile for the sound of her pealing laughter.

"Oh, Wren," I let out a shaky breath, we had never been fully alone before. "Hey." I cleared my throat.

"Hey." she sat down across from me, leaning against the side of the wall.

"Isn't Theo gonna get mad you're talking to me?"

"No, he trusts me, and I told him I was going to yell at you. He's nicer than he looks, I promise."

"Then why does he hate me?"

"For leading a simple Abnegation girl on and choosing a slut."

"She's not a slut!"

Her eyes gave me that look of criticism. "She's a slut."

"Yeah, she is, kind of." I lowered my eyes. I didn't want to talk about her this way, I mean, there was still a loyalty there, but it was true. "But why?"

"He's okay, now that you've defended me. All he wanted was a little bit of loyalty on your part, and you chose the wrong side. You want to know who Caroline is? She's one of the _old_ Erudite. She's the sister of a girl he dated last year. One who believed in the 'satanic Divergents' and that Erudite should be supreme. She hated Dauntless too. The only reason Caroline's there is to continue on the legacy."

"And...Caroline believes that too?"

"Yes."

"So he hates me for choosing the wrong side."

"He hates you for breaking both of our trusts."

"You trusted me?"  
"We both did. Then you go with Caroline, and you break it. Where do your loyalties lie?"

"With you." I admitted. I cupped my hand over my mouth. I had not meant to say that.

"Do they?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Shit, Wren, I think I like you."

"You have a girlfriend."

"Sometimes, when given the option, I tend to choose the wrong one. But I swear to Christ, since the first day we met, I'm in love with you. I feel like I want to say I love you, but that's too weak a word."

"Then why are you with Caroline? You had a chance, Adam. You really did." she shook her head.

"I did?"  
"Yes, but then you gave it up for her."

"She came on to me. I originally was going after you. But I didn't think you wanted me. Now you don't."  
"I wanted to be friends. I did. But then-"  
"Caroline." I finished. "She really screwed everything up."

"Yeah, she did." she laughed halfheartedly.

"Do you love him?" I asked.

"Yeah. I do. Every day of my life. I wouldn't give him up for anything."

"Not even me?"  
"Sorry, nope." she laughed. Wow. I had never been rejected before. I really wanted to kiss her. But our renewed friendship would be ruined.

"What if I kissed you?" What if I just shut up?

"I would be forced into reconsidering the truce, and a formal ally partnership."

"What?"

"I asked Theo, well, actually, he suggested it. He sees you as Dauntless, and he sees you as a good person. Well, enough to live anyway. Besides, that means we have three victor spots taken."

"Okay,"

"But that means that Caroline would die."

"I'm surprisingly okay with that."

"Do you accept?"

"Does this mean we're friends?"  
"Allies." she corrected. I thought she meant friends by the way she nodded.

"Permission to ask questions?"  
"Depends. Go on," she encouraged.

"How long have...you know."  
"Theo and I been dating? Since the day I beat you up the first time."

"The first day of training? That fast?"  
"We had seen each other at the aptitude test, so we knew each other. I just felt something with him. And he felt the same way. I'm only his second relationship. The first, really. The other one lasted a week, and, well, kind of the same deal. She came on to him, and he just accepted it and broke it off a week later. I'm the first girl he said 'I love you' to."

"This is your first relationship?"  
"Yeah."  
"Do you think it will last?"  
"I hope it does. We can make it through anything. We know there will be fights and disagreements, but we're not giving up on each other and we know our biggest fears are losing each other."

I nodded. "That's sweet." I wished it could be us. Start with friendship.

"Permission to ask questions?" she asked me.

"Anything."  
"Why Caroline? Do you really love her?"  
"She was pretty at first, and I guess I thought I could make you jealous, then break it off once you realised it was me you wanted. Guess that part didn't work out."  
"She would be pretty if she weren't a slut."  
I shook my head. "Compared to you, she's literally a doormat. She's dull, and repetitive, and annoying. Yeah, nice body and a pretty face, but she's not beautiful. She's not you. And I can't help but think every time Theo does something, or Caroline tries to do something, that I wish it could be us. No, I don't love her. I just feel loyalty because I hate to disappoint people. It's one of my fears."

"Oh."

"Did I ruin it?"  
"No, but you talk pretty. I'm just wondering how you're so ready to admit these things."  
"Not even Caroline knows any of this. She's an open book to me. I've never told her anything important."

"Why do you trust me?"  
"Because, I knew that you would be the most important thing in my life when we met on the train. And I will spend my life seeking you out, even if it means I have to be miserable."

"Thanks for that warning." she laughed and shoved me playfully.

Why was I so ready to admit things? I wasn't thinking about what I said at all, it just kind of came out. I guess that's how I knew I was comfortable with her, I was able to not think about my answers, just say whatever came to mind. That's not how I felt with Caroline, where I had to adjust every little thing I said. Wren was easy to talk to.

For the next few minutes, we sat and watched the city. It was a peaceful time. Relaxing, one might say. I was happy for the first time in a while. It was easy just being with her. I didn't have to put effort into it.

"The Capitol is a strange place." she said, breaking the silence.

"I think I like it here, though."

"Yeah, I guess so. I miss the compound. I miss my friends. I miss the loudness, the fast paced life of it. I don't want to die here."

"You won't." I looked at her. We held eye contact for a good minute before I leaned in and touched my lips to hers. She looked back at me, wide eyed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I didn't mean to. I don't know what came into me. Shit. I'm really sorry."

"You didn't plan that, did you?" she narrowed her gaze, searching to see if I was lying.

"No way. I don't want to endanger the friendship we just made."

"Don't do it again." she reprimanded me. Was that it? I could handle that much. "I'm going to go."

"Wait," she turned around, "You're not going to tell Theo, are you?"

"Wasn't planning on it. It was a mistake, that's all. But I do want to tell him you accepted the partnership."

"Wren, I'm sorry. For everything."

"I know." she left me to think about what just happened, my lips still tingling from the contact. Shit. What the hell was I doing?

* * *

_**AN: SCANDALOUS! Sike not really, but we all already knew something was going to happen. And it did. Now back to the story. Please Continue!**_


	31. Chapter 31

When Factions Collide

Chapter 30: Wren

I talked to Theo after Adam left the table. I really think he was trying to defend me, in front of Caroline. Something he said he wouldn't do. I even saw Theo's face light up a little bit, and sink down when he was gone.

"Should I talk to him?"

"Leave him be." Caroline scowled at me, overhearing me.

"What are you going to do about it?" I raised my eyebrows, questioning her.

"Nothing. He deserves to feel bad for flirting with you."

"Take your sorry ass and get the hell out, because you were flirting with my boyfriend and if you deny it, I _will_ kill you before we get to the arena." I growled. She left, tears in her eyes. I kept my eyes trained on her until she was in her room.

"I think because of the three of us, she will die."

"What do you mean?"

"Ask him if he wants to join our team. If he can learn something within the next couple days, he can protect you, and if anything, human sacrifice for both of us. Maybe he picked the right side after all." there was a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Maybe." I repeated.

* * *

Really? Had he really gone for the kiss? He knew I didn't want him. But I wasn't about to go back to hating him now. I would forgive him once, but if he tried it again, he would die a slow and painful death.

"Did you talk to him?"

"You wouldn't believe how much he trusts me."

"Oh really?"

"Spilled all his secrets in one go."

"Nice, nice. Stuff we can use against him?"

"Oh yes." We weren't actually going to, we _did_ want him to become friends with us, but we also wanted him more on our side than on hers, so there was that. Sometimes blackmail was good.

"Maybe we should go to bed before he gets back in."

"Probably would help. Both of them hate seeing us together."

"Let's stay." he sprawled out on the couch, picking me up and putting me on top of him. I sighed heavily. It was so relaxing, being with Theo. No, I would never give him up for anything. Adam could die before I would give him up.

It was only about nine, but Adam was still outside and Caroline in her room. I was kind of glad. If Adam came in it would have been really awkward, given the fact of his feelings, and if Caroline came, I would want to punch her. If both of them came in, then that would make for an interesting situation.

And my worst fear came true. Maybe I should stop having fears, they all seemed to come true. Well, not _all_ of them. Only a couple. But not even an hour later, when we were both dozing off in the quiet and peaceful silence, did Adam come in. And then Caroline decided to make an appearance, with different clothes on. Except it was almost the same thing that I wore. It was a purple dress, but it was cutout instead of plain. What was she trying to say? That she was better than me because she liked showing skin instead of having dignity? I looked at Theo, who rolled his eyes and snorted, and over at Adam, who grimaced.  
"Hey baby," she went up to Adam and kissed him. I wasn't jealous, if that was what she was trying to accomplish. Only she would care about starting drama a few days before a match to the death.

"Hey," he said. I could tell he was put off by her kiss. I was put off too, but not because of jealousy. I just despised her.

"Don't you have anywhere else to be?" I asked. I didn't even have a filter anymore. I didn't care enough.

"This happens to be the living room for _all_ tributes. I happen to be one, thank you."

"Might want to start acting like one, because last time I checked, you could pull off being a Capitol bimbo like the rest of them." I sat up and pushed Theo's legs off the couch. He chuckled softly, smiling and grabbing my waist.

"At least someone loves me." she shot back. Did she not see the love of my life protectively hovering over me? And, well, if I went on about Adam that would be a low blow. His face contorted into a disagreeing look, and even Theo caught that.

"For your body, not your personality."

"How can you live with yourself, you plain, plain, cruel girl? Don't you wish you could be smart? Or pretty? Or both?" she shook her hair.

"I live with myself pretty damn fine. Can you say the same?"

"Of course I can. I would rather just be humble about it."  
"Reassuring yourself every five seconds is a pretty loser way to be humble about it. Some might even call it narcissistic. Can you define that, Erudite?"

"Some people don't find the need to prey on others, unlike yourself."

"I'm only defending what's mine."

"What _is_ yours?"

"My morals. My fears. My friends. My dignity. My mind. My feelings."

"And her love." Theo added in.

"You do a pretty fine job of protecting that." I smiled as I nuzzled up to him, making a complete show of it. Oh this was fun. It was so raw.

"You can pretend all you want, I know this all must be so new. But let me tell you something, I may not be liked here, but at home there are better people than you."  
"Try saying that to the rest of Dauntless, _last place._"

"I only got last from the fighting."

"Tell me, how many fears did you have?"

"Twenty."

"And how long did it take?"

"An hour."

"Mine took eight minutes. Twelve fears."

"Well aren't you perfect?" she laughed.

"No, I'm not. But I'm sure as hell not insecure like you are." I walked away, ending it. All I heard from her was a shriek of exasperation. I won this.

I went back up to the gardens and felt peace again. My breath was coming out strong, I had worked myself up. But I won. And I had revealed her weaknesses. I had always wanted to do that. Hopefully I would get the chance to kill her before someone else did. I had never argued like that in my life.

* * *

"What are you doing up here all by yourself?" Theo asked behind me.

"Just thinking."

"I think what you said was-"

"Mean, cruel?" I hoped not.

"Brilliant and true. It was exactly what she needed to hear."

"You think so?"

"I have never been more proud of you." he beamed.

"I just insulted a person and you're proud of me."

"You defended yourself. And you didn't knock her out, which I would have done if I weren't holding on to you. Hey, how about a little sauna before bed?" he pointed toward the door.

I smiled. "I would like that. Let's just not get things too much hotter than the sauna, okay?"

"Fair deal." and we went in for the night.


	32. Chapter 32

When Factions Collide

Chapter 31: Wren

During the morning of training the next day, it was quite dull. We practiced more life skills, until lunch. Caroline actually learned to tie knots, but that was it. She stayed there for three hours while the rest of us moved from station to station, practicing what we had already learned and mastering the new things. It wasn't until after lunch that things got more exciting.

Theo was starting to dive into more weaponry. Adam had asked him if it was okay for me to hang out with him, to teach him knives. Of course, Theo not being a controlling figure as Caroline was in Adam's, he said it was my decision. I said I would. I knew this meant more questions coming my way, but I would deal.

"So, the first thing is to get a good grip. No, not like that. Here," I positioned his hand like mine. "Practice getting into it." I said. He repeated the motion on a few different knives before throwing.

"I got the grip down. How do I actually throw it?"

"Take a step forward and rock on your dominant foot. Then, flick your wrist. It's not so much about the power in your arm as it is the wrist."

"Why are things always about the wrist?"

"Because it's precise." I threw the knife. Bull's eye.

He threw the knife. It stuck, better than at the Dauntless compound, but it was about five inches to the right. He looked disappointed, almost a look of resignation. I wasn't impressed. He got disappointed too easily. Adam looked over at me, waiting for my approval or disapproval, but I couldn't give him a look without sneering just the slightest bit. I was put off. Not from the throw, but just by him. I thought maybe I could handle being friends, but last night was just a fluke. I didn't want part in anything he was doing. This wasn't someone who was going to survive.

"Try again." I sighed. He did so, and it was a little better in the aiming. About four inches right instead of five. But his wrist twisted naturally, so there was nothing I could do except tell him to practice.

"Okay, watch again. Your wrist isn't straight."

"I'm the best." Caroline came up from behind.

"Really? Is that what we're looking for? The best in what, memorizing a textbook? Last I heard, we're trying to survive, not memorize all the bones in the body."  
"Yeah, well, let me prove it." she went up to him and straightened out his shirt. "See, now your body will show." Distractions. She smiled and slid her hand down.  
"Ahem," I interrupted, "You were going to show me something?" I encouraged. She didn't think I would call her out on her bluff, but her hands twitched at her side and her eyebrows became slightly knitted for a second. I saw the fear in her eyes as she looked at me like I was a threat. My hatred and anger fueled me. I wasn't in the training room, I was in the Dauntless compound beating her up. Or at least, that's what I saw. She threw the knife, technique wrong, going so far as to hop instead of take a step forward.

"I can't do it in a controlled setting."

"Then please, by all means, show me a simulation. I'll try to compare myself to you afterward." I challenged.

There was a pause. "Fine." she barked. Her eyes betrayed more fear.

There was a room in the corner that the tributes could use for more real-life practice. It was quite nifty, actually. The tribute could control it as well. She chose the knife simulation and went in. In just the first thirty seconds, she couldn't even throw the knife at the person, instead trying to stab them with it.

"Come on, show me what you got!" I taunted. Adam's mouth went into a line. At her lack of skill or my comment, I don't know.

She was still trying to run and eventually threw a couple knives, both of which hit the wall instead of the figure and rebounded. One even cut her hand. That was when she stopped. She looked at her stats on the wall above. She would have been killed.

"Good try. But wait, I don't even think I can call that an attempt." I took the knives away, slicing her hand open. I had to admit, that was an accident. But a good one.

"Let's see you try."

I reset the simulation, and locked the door behind me. The first figure appeared and I heard it before I saw it, so I pivoted and threw the knife, getting a good stick in the throat. I also had a dagger so I could actually stab with the correct equipment, and the figure running at me had a gash at the neck before he could even raise his knife. There was a figure that was above me, about to jump down, and I used the knife that had a bullet like projectile to get him, and he fell to the ground. My technique was sound, and I was even laughing a bit, because it was fun. After about five minutes, my time was up. I was slightly winded, but not the kind that Caroline was, rather the kind that made me feel exhilarated.

There was a crowd of about ten tributes looking over. The kids from Annapolis and Denver, Theo, Caroline, and Adam were all there. They applauded me for my showcase. I bowed, picked up the knives, and stepped out of the room. Caroline gave me a grudging look while Theo smiled at me. I even got a high five from one of the Denver boys.

"Well, that was certainly impressive." Adam said. "I wish I could do that."

"You'll find your weapon. Keep looking." I said with a grimace.

"What's wrong?" he noticed my aloofness from him.

"Nothing." I reassured him. I smiled. "Nothing."

Theo then came up to me and asked if I wanted to practice some combat, and I agreed, wanting to get away from Adam. He could stick with Caroline and die for all I cared. We went to the rink and I wrapped my hands before listening to a few techniques.

"Okay, so here's what you do..." he told me, and we fought, my moves getting better and faster with each try. I could pick things up really quickly. I still preferred my knives though.

* * *

After training, Theo held my damaged hand and sat on the couch with me. It wasn't _damaged_, per se, but it hurt like hell and I had my knuckles bruised. Wasn't my fault that I can't hit punching bags for three hours.

"Ah, there are my tributes! I've just been informed that there is a ball we've been invited to."

"What kind of ball?"

"A ball to meet the game makers and other tributes of course! It's always a celebration for the Quell!"

"When do we have to be there?" Theo asked, rubbing my knuckles.

"Oh, in a couple of hours. Doesn't start til seven." It was five now.

"Thank you for the information." I smiled, waving her off. I got up and went upstairs to get a shower, leaving Theo behind. He would follow quickly.

"A ball. What are we supposed to wear to a ball?" he asked as I was putting a towel wrap on, standing outside the door. I looked on the bed and saw a note from Jada. It was telling me that the dress lying on my bed was what I would wear.

"Apparently this." I looked at the garment, Capitol and Dauntless together in one.

Theo went back to change, as he figured there would be a suit waiting for him. Sure enough, there was, and it was gorgeous, especially on him. An all black tux with a gold tie and gold embellishments, which looked stunning on him.

My dress was grand. It was a gold fitted thing with black lace spiraling up the gown from the bottom. It was backless and there were black jewels dripping on my neck. The only thing left was my hair, which I straightened and manually curled. Strands were hanging down in ringlets, framing my face.

"Wren, you look striking."

"Thank you." I slipped into the black heels, well, black shoes with a solid gold heel. They fit well, almost Dauntless well. I noticed the dress as well was something I could fight in, tight but movable. It was like Jada had consulted Dauntless on how to make the dress. "It feels good." I smiled.

"It looks made for you."

"Well, darling, hate to disappoint you, but it kind of was." I laughed and took his arm, which he gratefully offered.

We descended down the staircase as a true couple, Adam and Caroline waiting for us. Her stylist did not have as many good consultations as mine, because although Capitol, it was less Dauntless, a black ballgown with a gold petticoat underneath. It was also backless, but the ribbing was sheer, which totally fit her personality, I guess. So maybe she did have an original idea.

"Wow, don't you look good." Adam's eyes were wide.

"She looks too formal, not ballgown enough."

"Sorry for having a stylist with style."

"Sorry for not having a figure enough to pull off a ballgown."

"Um..." I stopped. I really didn't feel like bringing up the fallacy, because my logic was that since I _did_ have a figure, I was wearing a figure tight dress. Oh well, maybe not. Whatever she wanted to think. Sometimes I wondered what it was like in her head, how annoying it must get.

"Let's head out to the car!" Anita said, styled in her own Erudite blue dress.

At least she was excited.

* * *

_**AN: They never had a ball for the Quell. I know this. I also choose to ignore it because I enjoy being original. And its the 100th. Why not go all out, it's the Capitol!**_


	33. Chapter 33

When Factions Collide

Chapter 32: Theo

I really wished Caroline would stop antagonizing my girlfriend. I also wished Adam would stop being so bipolar and annoying, pick a side, and stay there. I wanted him to live, but if he was going to be a two faced bastard, then he was as good as dead. But such is the world, in which nothing goes right when forced. It just seemed very uncalled for that she insulted Wren just because she looked good. She had never gotten a chance to dress up, Caroline wouldn't even let her feel good about it.

I put my hand on the small of her back tenderly, so she would feel that my love for her was truer than what Caroline was saying. She needed it. As tough as she was, I knew that if she were alone, she would have been upset. We walked out onto the elevator, and went to the car. The venue was only about three streets away, but I was glad we weren't walking. Well, at least Wren wasn't. I didn't want her to have her feet be hurting.

"So, the Gamemakers will be there?"

"Oh yes, everyone will be there!"

"Everyone?" Wren asked, joining in the conversation. "Everyone who?"

"Stylists, tributes of course, Gamemakers, everyone." she beamed. "Everyone of high influence who can help you in the games, who can help you live will be there, waiting to meet you." She paused as the car pulled up. I had never seen serious Anita before, but she seemed very Erudite all of a sudden. "So put on your best faces and make friends." she exited the car first.

After Anita left the gull winged vehicle, we all stepped out one by one. I was first and I helped Wren. It was weird, being treated like a celebrity, even though no one really knew your name unless they paid attention. We were just a means for a couple weeks of entertainment, but that was enough for them to worship us for five days. Then again, the Victors got to grace the Capitol with their presence, so maybe they were trying to win us over if we won, so we would share our riches. There were adoring crowds waiting for us after we exited the car, and even after we got to the other side of the venue, there were still a lot more people to talk to, though more reserved and classy. I kept forgetting that they treat all of us like this because it's a game to them. We're not people, we're figures. It was a game, not a competition to the death.

When we entered the enormous ballroom, we were seated at our own table on the tributes side, and our presence was announced. Our party was one of the last to arrive, with the others on the floor dancing or going around meeting all the influential people. I saw the Capitol kids laughing about something with the ones from the Big Apple. Gamemakers and stylists were going out of their way to talk to all of the tributes and make friends, looking around and probably placing bets with one another to see who was going to win.

I took Wren and started dancing with her. Being from Erudite, I've been to a few formal events, but they were usually very quiet. As classy as it was, it was also loud and lively, like Dauntless and Erudite combined. I felt almost comfortable here. She; however, had never been to a formal dance, and I had two left feet, so I couldn't dance either. It didn't help that she was Abnegation, so she had never been to a formal event like this. But no, instead, she led me around, her moves more fluid than my rigid steps.

"When did you learn?"

"A couple nights ago. I got bored and started reading, and funnily enough, there was a section on old culture and I picked up some of the moves."

"You're terrific!" I exclaimed. Well, it was certainly no Capitol dance, but it was the dance they used to do, she called it a waltz, and it certainly went to the beat of the movement. I leaned in to kiss her, feeling a bit moved, as I often do with her. "Let me try something." I spun her around and dipped her as I saw the Capitol people do, and mimicked them. Her bell tone laugh rang in my ears, making me laugh in return, and I knew this was just one of the many reasons I let myself become lovestruck by this girl.

"Excuse me," a voice came from behind me. It didn't sound like Adam, so I turned around. It was her stylist.

"Oh, yes?"

"Pardon, but may I?" he asked formally. I nodded my head yes and he bowed slightly to me, respecting my territory, although she wasn't anyone's territory. People would do what they thought was right though, if that meant asking me for a dance with a girl, then sure, I would go with the culture. I wasn't a misogynist of any kind though, as most people thought badly of women. None of the Dauntless were, really. But I knew in Erudite and Abnegation they were. And I knew in other cities there wasn't as much respect either. I suppose he just followed Capitol treatment, or maybe it was just formal courtesy. I didn't know, but I let Wren go over instead of handing her over like I saw others do to their partners.

I walked away, letting them dance, and she winked at me. I stuck my tongue out at her. I was having fun at the table watching her learn all the _real_ Capitol dance moves he taught her, smiling and laughing each time she messed up. He seemed to be having a good time teaching her as well. My stylist came up and talked to me for a couple minutes, as she was Jada's partner in crime. Each girl tribute had a male stylist and each male tribute had a female stylist. It had always been tradition.

When she left, I looked back. They were just spinning, and she was teaching him how to waltz. However, it got to me when he touched her neck gingerly and asked her a question. She nodded. Did she have an injection too? He whispered something in her ear, and she looked surprised, even a bit hopeful. She pointed over at me, and then to Adam and Caroline. At me, he nodded yes. At Caroline and Adam, he shook his head. Then she looked at him and touched his neck. He nodded again, and showed her his wrist for some reason. I squinted, inching forward as if I could see it from here, but all I saw was the outline of a circle and within it flames. The Dauntless crest. What the hell? What were so many Dauntless and Erudite doing in the Capitol?

As the song came to a close, so did their conversation, and he brought her back over to me, both of them laughing. He kissed her hand goodbye, and looked over at me, slightly bowing again.

"Thank you, Theo. It was a pleasure." he turned to me, and left.

"Well? How was it learning a Capitol dance?"

"Let me teach you." she smiled slyly at me.

"Let's get food first."

We saw at least fifty tables of food, and I couldn't decide what to go to first. Wren had no trouble choosing, she wanted to try all the noodle and grilled dishes. I didn't know how they expected us to eat so much, because by the time I got back to the table for the third time, I couldn't possibly eat anymore. And I hadn't even tried the desserts they had. I wondered if they had chocolate cake.

It was nine when I finally decided to venture to the corners for the four tables of decadent sweets. There was indeed chocolate cake, but it didn't taste Dauntless. I saw Wren go to the open bar and order something, a mixed drink. It reminded me of her first night at Dauntless, when she, Bri, Mels, and Payton all ordered mixed drinks. I wondered why she was going back to them, she usually drank liquor now. Well, I got her to. Once I found out how funny she got on a buzz, I encouraged her to try the harder stuff. Then again, I got pretty funny too. It's like our real humor came out when we were less inhibited, and together we could make a comedy show. But I suppose since it was a formal event, a shot of gin wouldn't do her.

"Enjoying the party?" I felt a hand come down on my shoulder. Standing behind me was the broad shouldered Head Gamemaker, Xavier Evans, former Candor, and former Dauntless, who became a Capitol ambassador and worked his way up, I supposed. He was from two years ago. I had heard of him once or twice before.

"Yeah, it's a lovely spectacle."

"Four told me all about you, you know."

"Did he?" I wasn't aware they talked. "Hopefully good things." he chuckled at my response and slapped my back, being friendly. "I didn't know you two kept in contact." I let loose my thoughts.

"Yes, we do talk occasionally. Not a day to day basis, but every so often, when something comes up. Can't forget your own trainer."

"No, I suppose not." he trained Xavier?

"That girl, Wren-"

"How do you know her name?"

"I overhear things, and unlike the Capitol people, I pay attention. Just because I've been away for a couple years doesn't mean I'm mindless like them, I just prefer it here." Funny, didn't think anyone paid attention to the reaping, except for the tributes.

"Ah, yes, continue, please."

"Is she your flame?"

"Um, flame?"

"Pardon, Capitol lingo. Are you two dating?"

"Yes. Yes we are." I said seriously.

His look was one of almost pain, of sympathy. "May the odds be ever in your favour, then, Theo." he held out his hand for me to shake. I took it, and he walked away, muttering something to himself.

"Thank...you?" I said to myself as my girlfriend came over. God, I loved calling her that.

"What was that all about?" She asked, and took a sip of the martini.

"Wanted to wish me-us-luck." I said, still a bit confused, and a bit worried. Why would he want to know if Wren was my girlfriend?

"Well, that was awfully...nice"

"So be-eth the Capitol." I said, mocking them.

We found our way over to the dance floor again, and she showed me how to do the Capitol dance. It was a bit faster, more moves to memorize than the waltz, but I liked it. I twirled her around and we were having a great time. People started looking at us, really influential people, and some shook their heads, being serious, and others smiled at us. We had a few come up and say hi, wondering what city we were from. When we told them Chicago, they looked at us with excitement. Since most of the government came from Chicago, they were hoping we would be victors. But since mostly Abnegation volunteered, and we were Dauntless, we had a chance. I heard others murmuring about our status, about how nice it was that we were either going to die or become victors together, and I heard to names frequent the comparison, someone named Katniss and Peeta. No idea who they were, we didn't know much about the Capitol or outside the city, which is why we were able to govern fairly.

"Hi!" Two tributes came up to me, both blonde girls from Annapolis.

"So, Theo, the mystical god."

"More like a statue, carved out of bronze." They were flirting. Could they not see the beautiful girl I was dancing with?

"Sorry girls, not looking for allies." I turned down their advances, which provoked a winning smile from _my_ ally.

"Pity. We're good with archery."

"Have you seen her? She's amazing with knives." I said.

"Yeah, we've seen her. But say they don't have knives."

"Nope, no allies. Maybe you'll be victors with us anyway. Try killing those two." I pointed out Adam and Caroline.

"The girl is a bitch." the one, Aeryn said.

"Yeah, tell us about it. We live with her." Wren piped up.

"Who is this?"

"My girlfriend."

"Oh!" Cali, the other one said. "Our apologies. We thought she was just a friend. Our bad. But no, that other girl thinks she's so good. Wait til she's in the arena. My sister was in there six years ago. She told me unless I train really hard, I would never make it. I also had planned not to get picked, but I guess we can't all get what we want."

"She won't last a minute. So, Allies?" Aeryn promised.

"Yeah." it was Wren who confirmed the partnership. So now we had our four victors. The two archery whizzes, the knife thrower Dauntless, and the combat Dauntless. It was going to be a good team.


	34. Chapter 34

When Factions Collide

Chapter 33: Wren

At the ball, there were so many beautiful people. All the Capitol embraced changing themselves. Although striking, if they did it right, it became very amazing to watch the transformations from normal people to gorgeous perfection. Their bodies were taut, their hair perfect, not a strand out of place, their dresses were out of this world, and there was a whole new life outside of my whole new life. But I didn't feel at home. I didn't feel like how I felt at the compound: real. I felt artificial here. Apparently Theo felt the same way, because every person he looked at, he grimaced.

When Jada pulled me to dance, I felt good. I was making friends, something Anita told me to do. I didn't really want to leave Theo, but I would dance with him all night. A few minutes with Jada wouldn't hurt.

"So, I saw you dancing to the old dances earlier, let me teach you a more up to date one. Would you like to learn?"

"Yes please!" I exclaimed. He was very nice, unlike the clipped version I found to be uptight during the whole makeover session. We laughed and danced, and danced and laughed, and I finally got the moves down to the beat of the music. After the first song ended, I taught him more of the waltz, seeing as he already knew a bit of it.

He touched my neck after a couple minutes. "Does it hurt, where I injected you?"

"Not anymore, but I can still feel it."

"It's Dauntless technology."

"What does it do?"

"You'll figure it out."

"You're not planning to hurt me, are you?"

"No. I want you to win. I want you and Theo to win. I'm rooting for you." he smiled.

"Does Theo have one?"

"Yes."

"Does Adam or Caroline?"

"No."

"Do you?" I saw the indentation in his neck, now that I was focused.

"Yes." Simple answers. Not lying.

"So it's going to help us?"

"It already is." he smiled. I nodded like I understood. I would have to rely on the Erudite part of me to figure it out later. The song was ending. "Look at my wrist." he told me. I looked down as he lifted his sleeve up. It was the Dauntless crest.

"Were you from..." I trailed off.

"No. I was Capitol born. But I'm an undercover."

"Why?"

"You'll figure that part soon enough too. I'm sorry I can't really tell you anything more, but all I can say is that it's not Fate that we met, and that I'm on your side. You'll see yourself in the arena. You're coming out alive."

"You don't know that."

"Oh I have a fair amount of knowledge."

"Isn't it cheating?"

"Would you rather die?"

"No, but I want to live fairly."

"It's fair enough. Really, it will only activate in emergencies. You're important. That's why you have one." I nodded. "Let me get you back to Theo. He'll be wondering what we were talking about."

I thought about it after getting food. If it was meant to help us, but only activated during emergencies, then what help was that? I mean, it would keep me alive and wouldn't mess with my own abilities, which meant my knife talent was a talent and not because of the chip. Good. I actually could throw a knife. But I wanted to know what was so special about me and Theo that they had a Dauntless undercover. I was really hoping it wasn't another Purity War. I don't think I could handle another one of those.

* * *

After Jada walked to the table with me, we ate and drank, and were very merry in our celebration. I even went for the mixed drinks they had. I wasn't feeling liquor, I wanted class instead, so I got something called a martini. I think that was what Bri ordered on the first night in the Dauntless compound. Well, the second night actually. I saw Theo talking to someone, he looked important. I realised in the garments he was wearing that he was the Head Gamemaker. I saw him speak with almost a painful look on his face. By any means, it was a serious topic and Theo was very disgusted or put off. I wondered what it was. Nothing good.

We also gained allies. Too bad, that meant that Adam was going to have to die. Somehow, I wouldn't be upset about that. I hadn't seen or talked to him all night. It made my posture more relaxed, making me look friendlier, which was always good for important people, and I could feel at ease, not having to talk to him. Of course, _he_ might be upset, but I didn't really care about his feelings, or his life, at that stretch.

"Yeah. Yeah we can be allies." I told the girls. Theo looked at me, with a silent scream coming from his eyes.

"Good. Let's take 'em down together." Cali said. It turned out that they didn't actually mean to flirt with Theo, they had significant others back at home. So we were cool.

"The only thing I ask is that I get the final kill on Caroline." I needed that vendetta.

"Tell us about her?" Aeryn asked. Theo began to trust them as well. Well, not trust, but open up to them. I was very willing to share, because it would be nice to have it out in public, so she would be one of the first targeted. Or last, to make it more painful. Whatever. I just wanted her dead. Was this the mind of a tribute?

As I told them the story of our first few days, and my action packed adventure of beating her up, and all the things she accused me of, they sympathized.

Cali commented after my story. "We have a girl like that at home. Almost an exact match, well, except what they look like. She's blonde, but it's a gross kind of blonde. Really awful looking, but she thinks she's all that. Her name is Paige. Wish she had been in our place, dying by everyone's hands, but I suppose not."  
"I guess you'll just have to brag about being a victor." I chuckled.

"Total whore. Yeah, she can get guys, but she's dull and annoying. Can't do anything but memorize a textbook and spit it back out."  
"Sounds like an Erudite." Theo joked.

"What is an Erudite?" Aeryn asked. I really liked the girls. I hoped they would stay alive. I would make sure of it.

"It's one of our factions. What is it like in Annapolis?"

"God, I love it there." Cali answered. "The harbor is the best, especially in the summer. You always see people there, spending the days in the sun. What is it like in the factions?"

"I love it in Dauntless. I really do. That's where I met Theo." I said, taking his hand. They 'awed'. "The other factions don't get along too well though, even after the Purity War. There will always be tension, I guess." Theo nodded with me.

His opinion was similar. "It's nice, I love the structure, but I want to travel. As a Dauntless leader," he turned to me, "We should be able to. But I haven't exercised that privilege yet. Four and Peter have. They've been here before."

"They have?"

"Once or twice."

"Oh my God," I suddenly understood Jada now. "Theo, you're brilliant." I kissed him and left to find Jada.

"You're gonna tell me, yeah?" Theo yelled as I ran off.

"Yeah! Hold on!"

This was brilliant. I knew I would figure it out soon enough, but I didn't realise how Erudite my mind could be. I was weaving in and out of people, trying to find my stylist when a hand grabbed me. I thought it was someone from the Capitol telling me to slow down.

"Whoa," it was Adam's voice. I instantly froze and turned to ice.

"Get your hands off me." I growled, impatient.

"Easy, Wren." he joked, backing away and putting his hands up in a submissive gesture. Did he think I was kidding around? "Not the way you should treat someone you love."

"You think I love you? I don't love you. I never have. I never will. We were never even friends! You think you're so cool for double crossing me, trying to win me over, gain my trust, play with my emotions, you think you're too good for the games. You're wrong. I told you to choose your loyalty. And here you are trying to play both sides. Stay away from me."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." he defended.

"Right. I suppose not, given your histrionic personality." I scoffed. I didn't even think about having a filter, my face was hot and I saw crimson. This was war.

"Wren, what has gotten into you?"

"Fuck off, Adam. I'm not kidding. We're done. With everything. We were never even beginning, but we're done. Not allies. Get it? Good." I slapped him and walked away. I turned my head, seeing the confused look. "We don't want you!" I shouted.

I looked around for Jada across the expanse of the area, which was quite a feat, but I never found him. It was only about ten thirty. I had to talk to him about Four and Peter. They were planning to help anyone important to them, to save them. Not us, well, not us specifically, but any Divergents. So Jada must have been the Capitol equivalent of someone with Divergence. GPs, they called them during the War. I was now sure that all cities had their own version, but none took it as seriously as ours.

He must have left early, so I went outside to the balcony instead. There were fireworks going and everything was lit up in bright fluorescent colours. I couldn't see the stars like I could in Chicago. Somehow, although upset about it, I was glad I didn't have another reminder about the old life I had.

A voice disrupted me from my thoughts. "Hey," Theo came and sat next to me.

"Did you follow me?"

"I saw the whole spectacle with Adam. You know you can be friends if you want. You don't have to hate him."

I shook my head. "But you see, I do. I can't stand the mere presence of him."

"He didn't look too happy when you ran off."  
"Good. I hope he's not."

"I know. I guess I shouldn't have suggested anything."  
"No, no. You're fine. But..." I paused, wondering I should tell him. What harm could it do, it was black mail of a sort. "But he kissed me."

"Did you let him?" he was quick to respond.

"Theo," I started calmly. "He grabbed me, I couldn't get out of his hold, it came from out of nowhere. I hit him and ran out." That wasn't how it went, but that was how I imagined it.

"What the fuck is wrong with him?"

"Told me he was in love with me." I continued. "I said it was never gonna happen. Don't worry, I used that fancy lip scrub they had afterward so my lips are clean." I stood up, asking him to dance. There was a sort of oldish song playing, perfect for a waltz. We spun around the balcony before picking up the conversation again.

"For him, I suppose it was heat of the moment. Or so he'll try to claim. For me, it was gross, creepy, and I was disgusted."

"Question?"

"Yeah?"

"Was he a good kisser?"

"Not even a bit!"

"Good." he smiled at me and kissed the tip of my nose, working his way down to my lips. "I'm going to kill him." he said against my lips.

"Now who doesn't know the meaning of romantic?" We smiled at each other, remembering that earlier night. "But sweetheart,"

"Hm?"

"You're going to kill him anyway." I smiled sweetly, retrograding into the mind of a tribute once more.


	35. Chapter 35

When Factions Collide

Chapter 34: Wren

An early morning was never fun. Well, compared to a late night. They had made an exception for the tributes' curfew to be extended so we could stay out and party like the Capitol, meaning staying awake and drinking until four in the morning. Capitol parties were serious parties, and running on three hours of sleep for the last day of training was not good.

When I woke up, Theo's face was in my hair. He must have kept it there all night, otherwise he would have moved. I was glad for that, he still loved me. I wasn't too sure if he would have after last night, but I'm also glad I told him what Adam did to me. It wasn't like I was trying to get with Adam anyway, I loved my boyfriend.

I got up, trying not to disturb him, and went to shower. While my hair was still wet, I put it up into a braid to get it out of my face. Today was the last day of training, where we would go and get judged on our work. I would most likely be throwing knives. But I would also be teaching Cali and Aeryn, and they us, so there was that choice as well.

Down at breakfast, Anita, Adam, and Caroline were all siting down, very quiet. I guessed that Theo was still sleeping, I didn't look for him in the bedroom coming out of the shower.

"Good morning, Wren." Anita smiled at me. I got a roll and eggs, sat down, and ate.

"Where's Theo?" Adam asked. How dare he have the nerve to speak to me.

"Still sleeping. I left him in bed, I didn't want to disturb him."

"How nice!" Anita loved hearing about our romance. Weird for an Erudite. Not weird for a Capitolite.

"Hopefully he'll be up soon. I'm so lonely without him." I sighed for dramatic effect. Caroline rolled her eyes. Adam frowned and stopped eating for a moment. Anita looked sympathetic.

I got up again after I finished eating and went to the room. I heard the shower going and saw the bed empty. Good, it was about time he woke up.

"Morning," he smiled over at me, only wrapped in a towel. Somehow it didn't bother me.

"Morning, love. Ready to kick ass in training?"

"I love it when you call me love."

"Doesn't answer my question."

"Yeah, let's beat some butt in training today!" he fist pumped the air and rolled his eyes.

"Just wondering!" I nudged him.

"Would you care if I asked Adam to a fight?"

"Theo!" I shouted with mock concern. "He was our ally!"

He drew in a gasp. "I know! But the key word here, my dear, was '_wa_s'."

"I suppose you do have a point." I tapped my chin thoughtfully. "Go for it."

"Thank you for the permission." he kissed me with chaste and left to got something to eat. My lips turned up into a relaxed sort of smile. The feeling of his lips was warm and familiar, and wanted, almost craved, unlike Adam's.

I sat in the bed, looking through all the screens and scenery. We still had about twenty minutes before we had to be down at training. I felt the spot over my neck. What was the chip for? I knew _why_ we had it, but I didn't know what it did. I had hoped my life didn't absolutely depend on it, but I couldn't help but be grateful for the technology. In the midst of my thinking, I heard a knock on the door. Not Theo, he would have just barged right in.

"Who is it?"

"It's me." Adam. What did he want?

"Thanks for stopping by, really. But I would rather not hear your voice, see your face, or breathe any air within then feet of you, lest a combination of the three."

He chuckled. He laughed at my blatant form of 'no'. How dare he have the gall-wait, the door was opening. Christo.

"Sorry for last night. I shouldn't have grabbed you."

"Did I ask you to come in? Just because you say sorry doesn't mean I want you in here. It doesn't mean we're friends. What if I don't forgive you?"

"Weren't we though? I thought the other night-"

"That was a fluke. I felt bad for you. I shouldn't have given you any kind of hope. I knew nothing was going to happen." I deadpanned.

"Then why-"

I cut him off. "Because you were willing to die for me."

"That still stands true."

"Go for it." I ushered him out of the room with a single glance.

"Down, girl." Theo came into the room, seeing my Look of Death as Adam backed out. "I really do not trust him." he said loud enough so Adam could hear.

"Neither do I." I said, folding my arms.

"We should head down?"

"Hold on," I got up and stood touching him, snaking my arms around his neck. He put one hand on my side around my waist and the other cupped my cheek, bringing our lips together again. We could not get enough of each other. It wasn't normal for us to be this sensual, but we had limited time alone together. Surely these weren't our last days, but if we did win, the fame and publicity of our relationship would be almost unbearable, so I heard from Cali and Aeryn, who had victors at home. Live and let die, I guess, when it came to inhibitions.

"You're right," he said in between kisses, "Maybe we should just skip training and-" he suggested, but never finished the thought as his hand grabbed at my hip.

"Not gonna happen. That's all you get." I pulled back. We had five minutes.

"Later?"

"Most likely." I winked at him. No, we weren't like that. Procreating for fun was more like something Caroline and Adam would do, but we could still be close without it. It had only been about six weeks together, anyway.

It amazed me how much time we actually _did_ spend together, and we still weren't tired of each other. He was definitely not like the trainer I met in Dauntless. We would survive the fame of the Capitol if we won, I was sure our relationship would stand the test of time. We were holding hands in the elevator, the last four tributes down to training. Our confidence as Dauntless outshone the rest of the tributes as well.

"HEY!" Cali yelled, interrupting everyone's training. She waved us over.

"How's it going?" I high fived them.

"You ready to learn how to fight?"

"I'm from Dauntless," I taunted. "I know how to fight."

"Ever shot a bow and arrow?"

"Hah, no, I tend to stick with knives and guns."

"Okay, well, both of you go get one." she pointed to the rack on the wall.

"Which one?" Theo asked. He was about as familiar with this as I was. We didn't do bow and arrow in Dauntless.

"They're all the same. But they suck compared to what we have home."

"Welp," I felt the bow. It was heavy in my hands. "I guess this'll be it. What do I do with it?"

Aeryn chimed in. "You have to pick up a set of arrows too." she giggled.

"Of course I do. I forgot, sorry."

"You're okay! Alright, so hold the bow so the curve is shoulder height. And hold your hand like this." she positioned my hand so I would get the feel of it. I practiced getting into the grip.

"Like this?" I held it up, minding all her moves and demonstrations. She nodded after inspecting it.

"Yeah, okay, now push the arrow into the string. Pull your elbow back straight. It's not so much about the wrist, like I'm sure you're used to." she released hers. "And let it fly." it hit the centre. I pulled back after her and let mine go. It his the edge of the target.

"You hit the target! Not bad for a first shot!" Next was Theo. He hit his closer by a couple inches, actually getting inside the target. Once we got the hang of it, we just continued practicing while they coached us for the next couple hours until lunch. I was finally able to get it accurate, picking up the skills quickly, although not as quickly as I picked up knife throwing.

* * *

By the time lunch rolled around, I was able to defend myself in three ways: knives, hand to hand combat, and bow and arrow. Two of these things were going to serve more purpose because I was actually able to do them.

Our group of Allies sat together, and we watched the rest of the tributes. The other two from Dauntless sat over with the Capitolites. Hadn't realised they had made friends. Cute. I thought about the knife in my hand. My mentality went to a kill streak. I thought about gashing her neck, mutilating her body. I thought about killing her. Never had I ever seriously considered killing someone until now, but as the Capitol girls braided her hair and she stuck out her chest to the boys in front of her own goddamn boyfriend, I gripped the knife.

"Wren?" Aeryn asked, seeing my contorted face.

I tossed the knife up absentmindedly and caught it, coming back from my thoughts. "Huh?"

"Time to get back to training. You wanna try a simulation really quick with Theo?

"Sure." so I did.

When we went in, we stood back to back. We would be in there for ten minutes, trying to test our skills and what we learned. I picked up the bow and aimed my first shot. It hit the leg of the figure coming near me. I had to be faster, this was about speed as well. The next one went through the right side and another hit a chest. Now I was starting to get more comfortable, the practical application of my skills did more help than the theory and stationary work. Theo also picked it up within the ten minutes. Surely I wasn't as good as the girls, but I was better than I was before lunch.

"That went really well!" Cali complimented. "I would stick with knives, but really, you have another weapon under your belt, which will be good.

"Thank you so much for teaching us." I smiled graciously. "You wanna learn combat or knives?

"Probably combat." Cali answered.

"I'll learn knives." Aeryn came with me.

Theo walked over to me really quickly. "You know I'm not going to teach them everything. I don't want them turning on us."

"Neither do I. Teach the basics, though." I told him.

Aeryn and I went to the targets and picked up a set of knives. She was definitely better than Adam on her first try. Although it was not as accurate as mine, she was consistent with her movements, unlike he had been. We laughed and played around with the simulations. I rated her as good as knives as I was with the bow and arrow. I only taught her the basic throwing though, didn't want her having a one up on us.

It wasn't until I heard the punches from inside the rink that I got worried. For a second, I thought Theo was hurt. Then I realised it was the opposite: Theo was hurting someone else. And that someone else was Adam. He really did challenge him to a fight. I put a hand over my mouth to stifle a giggle. Cali and Aeryn came over and sandwiched me as Caroline gave all three of us a glare. We waved back at her and the two blondes laughed.

"Really, she thinks she's gonna kill us with a single look. You should see the looks Paige gives us back at home."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. This is nothing."

Theo came out of the rink with sweat dripping down his face. I wiped some of it off near his lips and gave him a peck.

"You actually fought him," I shook my head in disbelief.

"You didn't think I would? I thought you had more faith in me! I thought you would be happy!"

"I am. I'm even more so that you didn't get hurt." I gave him a playful slap on the cheek and sent him off to clean more of the sweat.

"You guys. Are so freaking cute. Like really." Cali got really excited about our relationship.

"Thanks." I swayed a little bit. I never realised people actually paid attention to us. I also never realised that I would make good friends here. Hopefully we all stayed alive by the end.

* * *

Training ended that day around two, about three hours earlier than usual. Each tribute would get ten minutes to demonstrate their strengths in front of the panel of Gamemakers. As always, we were the first. The girls presented, then the boys. Caroline would be first, according to last name.

"Good luck!" Adam made the effort to kiss her with his lip, still raw from the fight.

"Oh God," I sneered.

"Hey Wren," he pointed to the knives as the door shut to the training room. "See those knives?"

"Yup."

"I know where they're going in about two seconds."

I smiled knowingly at him. "Me too." Theo looked at him and made a slicing motion on his throat, sound effects included.

"I was kidding, Wren. I don't want to hurt you."

"Pity," I fought. Since when did I become so argumentative? "Because that's all that I want to do to you."

"I'm not arguing."

"I am." My life revolved around arguing and fighting now. If the Hunger Games were a verbal attack to the death, sign me up as an automatic victor.

"Wren Tailor." The voice spoke over the intercom as Caroline walked out.

"Wish me luck." I kissed Theo.

"Wait for me?" he asked.

"Of course, love." and I went in.


	36. Chapter 36

When Factions Collide

Chapter 35: Adam

I had to wait for Wren to get done before I went. It must have gone well for her because she came out standing just a little bit taller, her posture straight in a portrait of majesty and success. She looked past me to Theo, nodded, and waited in the hall. The same one that Caroline was in. Could be a fight. Although, now Caroline just tried to ignore her, not wanting to work herself up. It still hurt her, though, I could tell. Her eyes were darker whenever Wren would diss her, her face a little more heavy, even her gait changed. I wasn't sure what to do, where to go. I loved Wren, but sometimes, when she picked fights, I hated her with a passion. But it was Caroline who started it all, Wren was just playing defensive most of the time. It was Caroline who started the fights. It was Caroline who flirted with every other guy, including not just the Capitol boys, but the girls as well. Desperate for attention. I was still dating her, though, out of loneliness. But I wasn't sure how long it would last.

When I went in, once they called my name, I presented some skills I was still in the process of learning. I learned how to throw a spear, and as that was my best skill, that was what I presented. They clapped politely after watching me in the simulation for ten minutes. I thought I did fairly well. I would see tonight when they announced the scores, which were ranked one out of ten for each tribute. The higher the number, I was explained to, the more sponsors the tribute was likely to get, which meant a better chance of living in the Games.

Theo looked at me and grimaced on the way out, and I went in the hall to get Caroline. I was surprised that they had not clawed each other to pieces until I saw the knife in Wren's hand. When did she steal that?

"Stealing much?"

"Not like I can use it. Might as well get a souvenir."

"Since when did you become so..." I fumbled for the right word.

"Mean, cruel, hot-tempered, all of the above?" Caroline was listing insulting adjectives.

She just looked at the knife. Then she looked us both in the eyes. "Since my life depended on it." her voice was smooth in confidence of her word choice, but I could see the meaning behind the feathery softness of it as well. She was upset at Caroline's insults. I felt bad and went to apologise, but Caroline stopped me.

"Just let her be the Stiff she is." Caroline shrugged, taking my hand and walking away. "Not like anyone would care if she lived or died."

Not true. I did. Theo obviously did. "Well, Theo does."

"No, he doesn't. He was totally playing hard to get with me that night at the table."

"Well, I'm your boyfriend. It shouldn't really matter what he thinks."

"Can't I have friends?" she went on the defensive. She always did this, victimized herself.

"Yeah, but so can she. So can I for that matter."

"Adam, she doesn't have friends. She has people who pity her. No one likes her! Have you seen what she does to me?"

"NO!" I didn't hate Wren at this point, in fact, I hated Caroline. My voice bellowed, evoking a stare even from Wren at the other end. "I care about her! I'm her friend!"

"She hates you! And I'm the only friend, the only girlfriend you need!"

"You know what, Caroline? I love her. So much more than you. I-I can't do this anymore, constantly tend to your needs. We're done."

"Adam, you're the love of my life! I can't live without you!"

"Then die." I broke away from her hand and walked away, plodding towards the elevator.

* * *

Back in the room, Wren and Theo were sitting on the couch eagerly awaiting their scores and talking about what they each did. After about an hour, they lay on top of each other and fell asleep. I was sitting on the couch adjacent to them, sitting drenched in my own pity. Caroline was up in _her_ room, probably cutting herself for all I knew.

Wren woke up after an hour or so and looked at me. "Where's the girlfriend?"

"Broke up."

"Never liked her." was her coarse response.

"I know." and she lay back down on top of Theo, practically, his arm coming around her shoulders and holding her in his embrace.

I sighed, wanting to do that with someone. I hated being alone, but I had to get through the breakup somehow, and being alone was far better than being with Caroline. Why was I even thinking about petty drama before the Games? I mean, my God, I was about to face twenty three others for a battle to the death and here I was sitting and thinking about my ex girlfriend, and the girl I wanted to call my own. This sucked.

What was even worse was dinner. Anita noticed the awkwardness, the fact that I wasn't sitting with Caroline, and tried to make it better by talking about training, but that probably wasn't the best idea because Caroline started crying and had to leave the table. I felt my cheeks go hot and slunk down in my chair. But of course she was going to feel bad, I was the love of her life, apparently. She was supposed to mean nothing to me. I was supposed to let her die. How could I let her die when Wren wouldn't even be able to help me through my own breakup? Who could I rely on?

"Adam," Theo was the one who said something. "Don't feel bad about Caroline. She wants you to feel bad. I've seen it before."

"Where?"

"In her sister, when she didn't get what she wanted." Theo was wise. Maybe I should listen to him.

Anita had left to go check up on Caroline, since she seemed to leave the table very distraught, so it was just the three of us. I really wasn't too sure on what to say at this point, after the dialogue ended about her sister, so I sat quietly until Wren spoke up.

"What exactly happened?"

"Well, I just um..." I wasn't sure how much I should tell with Theo here.

"He knows." she said, sensing my discomfort.

"He does?"

"I felt guilty."

"Right, right. So basically I confessed that I never liked her in the first place, she claimed that I was the only one for her, and that was about it. I was done at that point."

"How are you feeling?" Theo contributed. It was because he dated her sister that he felt sympathetic, I thought.

"Right now I feel like a piece of shit, and I'm upset."

"Being single for a while is not a crime."

"It's been a while since I've been single."

"Even if you're single for a year, it's not going to kill you." Wren said.

"That's easy for you, though. Being in Amity, we were always affiliated with people. It's not easy being alone."

"No, it's not. But you also have friends."

"Not really."

"You do though, you have us." Wait. This coming from Theo?

"You're my friends?"

"For now, I'll consider this an amicable treaty. You picked the right side. Just do me a favour and don't kiss my girlfriend." he shook my hand and had his arm around Wren.

"Let's go look at some scores." I smiled and got up, accepting the treaty. But we all knew that one of us was not coming out of the Games.


	37. Chapter 37

When Factions Collide

Chapter 36: Wren

_It was a dark and stormy night_. That's how all of the books I've seen laying around Theo's room start. In fact, tonight was one of those dark and stormy nights in the Capitol. I didn't think it could storm in a place so bright. But it could. And it did. I sat by the grand scale window after dinner, while the rest of them sat on the couches. Even Theo. He wasn't one to be sympathetic, but he really did know what Adam was going through and wanted him to be alright. I could see that he didn't actually care about being friends, and I let it go. I was starting to soften up now that I found out they broke up.

"Hey, Wren, babe," Theo was being very romantic, partially to cheer me up and to cheer Adam up. I should have been the one over there, I was the empathetic one. I could feel the tension and the depression and the unrequited love in the room, I was good with sensing out emotions. But I was too selfish to comfort anyone. Probably why I wasn't Abnegation anymore.

"Yeah?"

"Scores are starting." he patted the seat next to him. He had saved a spot next to him for me so I could cuddle up into him.

"Sure," I walked lightly over there, giving a sideways glace at Caroline. I sat down and waited for all of our scores. We again would be first.

Caesar came onto the screen giving everyone else updates on the tributes and how amazing it was to host us. We were marvelous and had been going through three days of hard training, and that these scores will only be a predictor of how we do in the games, not if we win or not. They mentioned nothing of inescapable death of twenty other tributes. The first person would be Caroline and her score. Her eyes were still red and fresh tears were escaping, cascading down her face as she began to slowly give up. I killed her, and I would do it again, slowly from the inside out.

"Caroline Fletcher: Three!" her face showed on screen. The confident look she gave off on the television was nothing like that of her face now.

"Wren Tailor,"

"Oh God," I gulped air down my throat.

"Eight!"

"WHAT?" I stood up and screamed. I was not only above average, I was an eight out of ten. I would do well in the games.

"Adam Standford: Five."

"Not bad," Theo pat him on the back.

"Theo Verdinelli: Nine!" Theo got a nine. A nine out of ten. He would kill the Games. That was it for our faction.

Anita hugged us all and congratulated on our scores, especially Theo and I. I felt Dauntless at that moment. Actually Dauntless. I knew people at the compound back home would be cheering for me too. For us. I listened for the Annapolis girls a few minutes later. I really wanted to make sure Cali and Aeryn were in a good range too. Sure enough, they were. Cali got the same score as me and Aeryn got a seven. We were going to win, and no one was going to stop us.

We had the servers in the apartment come up and bring us a bottle of champagne. She said we deserved something for all our hard work and training, especially before interviews tomorrow. Interviews. I almost forgot about them. We would be going in front of the Capitol, well, all of the cities really, national broadcasting, and telling basically our life story. Whatever they would ask us, we had to answer. It was another day with Jada though, so that was nice.

The rest of the tributes' scores were announced as we were celebrating, but we didn't pay any attention. Even if we had, they didn't match Theo. He was a nine, the only one that high. There were three eights, me, Cali and someone else from Denver. The Big Apple kids were the lowest scoring kids, surprisingly. Usually they would be the volunteers, so they were really high. Better for us that they weren't though. I was excited now, and partially drunk off of the emotions. The champagne didn't actually do much, it was mostly just thinking and feeling. Feeling was the bulk of it. There were more fireworks out the window even though it had stormed only forty minutes ago, and we could hear the rhythmic booms and see the bursts of light following.

"We're gonna make it out of here okay." Theo whispered in my ear as he took my hand.

"Yeah, yeah we are." I smiled, locking my fingers in between his. There was another program coming on afterward, but we turned the television off, instead listening to the music that was coming from somewhere else.

"That's for you all." Anita told us.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's a celebration! The Games, especially Quells are full of them!"

"Come on!" I took Theo, my eyes lighting up. We traveled up the staircase at the other end of the hall to the top, where the garden balcony was. Luckily, the rain had stopped, although there was still a bit of distant thundering.

"Wren?"

"Celebration! Cheers!" I clinked my glass to his.

Anita and Adam came rushing behind wanting to see what all the fuss was about. They came right around the time that Theo swung me into his arms and started dancing to the echo of the music that we heard. Anita giggled, almost as if vicariously living through us. As well, as if Adam were getting into the spirit of it asked out hostess for a dance. She was young. Younger than I thought. She looked about twenty five, but I faintly remember her mentioning she went through Erudite's initiation process about five years ago, making her only twenty one. There on the balcony we were all listening to the music, the Capitol celebrations, living out our last days of freedom with ease, forgetting that tomorrow night was the last day we had together. Pity I would have to kill them, Caroline and Adam and whoever else there was, but it was either that or death. Certainly, according to Jada, the latter was not happening.

* * *

It had to be about eleven before we all eventually got tired enough to stop dancing and go back down to the apartment. There we were, laughing as we came down the stairs like a bunch of old friends instead of our ambassador and fellow tributes. Amazing how some things changed with Capitol celebration. And then it dawned on me. That's how everyone stayed so placid in the lifestyle. The celebrations. How would they have time to loathe each other if they had parties to constantly attend, or shows to constantly catch up on, or news or gossip? They wouldn't. And so they didn't know what was actually happening, they didn't care that we were going to die, because it was a gamble. This was their gambling process, this really was their _Game_.

"Oh my God." why was it when I was on alcohol that I had the best ideas and revelations?

"What is it?"

"Theo, the Capitol is perfect."

"Well, that's obviously not true," he argued when we got back to the room. "But go on."

"No no no, I mean they have the perfect plan. The perfect plan to subdue people. You said how people hate the games at home, and obviously they love them here?"

"Well, yeah, but they don't really ever have to worry about anything here, because its mostly rigged so their kids come back." That was true. Either Big Apple or Capitol kids came back as victors most of the time.

"I figured it out. The constant activity is enough to drive anyone mad, yeah? But not here."

"They're already mad."

"Not my point. My point is that's how they placate the society. By putting everything off, by giving them a placebo. They look at it from the point of view that their precious Capitol tells them to look at it from and go along with it. They don't know better because they haven't been _exposed_. The only reason they found out about us was because of war!"

"I love it when I see your Erudite come out."

"Theo listen to me!"

"I hear you. And Wren, that's amazing that you figured it out, but how is that going to help us during the Games?"

"Because we have these chips that do the work for us, we don't have to focus on getting killed. We're _aware by nature_. It's why the others in factions don't question it, each society has their own ways to subdue the people."

"And each society has their Divergents."

"And we're it."

"We're it." he started to catch on.

"Yeah."

"I think I know what you mean. So what now?"

"We win."

* * *

**_AN: So now it's more of a philosophical, sociological book really. Since they're mostly original characters (A few like Peter and Four aren't, obviously), I want to get more into the sociological approach and how it affects the characters, which is more apt for this kind of a crossover. Please please review and read on! I love you all and thanks for sticking with me:)_**


	38. Chapter 38

**_AN: Now we get to go back to the Compound! I was rereading Allegiant at this point and wanted to experiment. I think I did a pretty good job! Yay more POVs!_**

* * *

When Factions Collide

Chapter 37: Tobias

Had it really only been four days since Theo and Wren left? It felt like years in the compound. Normally there was hustle and bustle coming from the Dauntless, but everyone, even in the Pit was eerily quiet, still in a stupor of grief that not only three of our newest members, but one of our Dauntless leaders were going into the games. Every night we would all gather in the Pit and watch for updates, which never really happened, only recounting what had happened on a previous night. We did see the chariots, but after that, there was nothing. Nothing until tonight.

I gathered with Mels, Isaac, Payton, Erin, Em and Peter to watch the scores. Bri and Nathan couldn't bear to come watch. Well, that was their excuse for Peter. I knew that they were up to something, a plot against her brother. She thought that he had something to do with this, because Wren knew that she wouldn't be picked, and since she was going for a leadership position, she thought that Peter had something to do with the choice.

"How convenient the reaping was scheduled two days after becoming members, and that he wanted her to start training after the reaping." She conspired to me yesterday. "I intend to find out what actually happened. Out of everyone, why her?"

"Bri, you're grieving. Peter wouldn't do that. Not anymore." I had told her. But the truth was I wasn't so sure myself.

"Four, you know yourself what Peter is capable of doing, especially as a Dauntless leader. And you _know_ he has ties in the Capitol." That was true. He still occasionally talked to Xavier, one of the people we had both trained. I had found out he was Head Gamemaker. But no, Peter wouldn't try something like that again, not like he did with Tris.

"I don't think Peter had anything to do with it. Why would he want revenge? He was planning to step down." I was trying to convince myself. It wasn't working. Bri's logic was watertight.

"No, I don't believe that. He was formerly an Erudite. He's manipulative."

"He said he was guilty how many times for Tris?"

She looked at me, sorrow in her eyes. "Wren isn't Tris."

"I-I know." I bit my lip. "But I still don't know if he did anything or not."

"No, neither do I. But Four, he probably wanted to gain your trust. And now he did. And now he took the last part of your memory of Tris away." It was true, that girl reminded me of her. I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm sorry, Four, but I want to find out the truth."

"I understand. But if it is true, then why?"

"I'll find out, and I'll tell you." she left to find Nate and snoop into his life. "Tobias?" she turned back.

"Yeah?"

"I really am sorry. He shouldn't have taken your friends away, no matter how much you were vicariously living through them." she said it with an air of disapproval, but also with a tone of sympathy.

That was yesterday. Today, the only thing I could do was think about Peter. I wanted to think he changed, but maybe the way Wren relieved him of his guilt, and the way Theo wanted Wren to be a leader instead of Peter changed him again, turned into the monster he was before. Acting or not, he seemed genuine in his actions and his words, never slipping up, never failing to have his guard up.

"I don't want to set a bad example for the compound." he had said to me when I asked him why he wasn't showing any kind of emotion or care about the tributes. "I don't want them to be afraid."

I was. And I was afraid now as I watched the screen. We would be first in the score section. I saw Caroline's name come up. Oh, right, she and Adam were the other two tributes. Somehow, I don't think anyone would miss them if they came back. Her score was low anyway, so she really didn't set up a good example of Dauntless values.

Wren. How she was like Tris. I hoped the best for her as her picture came announced her score, an eight. I stood up and cheered, the rest of the Pit looking at me. My face turned a bit red, I could tell from the heat in my cheeks, but all of a sudden, when Theo's score came out to be a nine, the rest of the Pit joined me in celebration. They may not have known Wren long enough to praise her score, but they did know Theo, as unpopular as he claimed to be. Mels and Isaac started jumping and shouting, and there was banging and clattering of plates and knives and forks as we supported our fellow members. Peter smiled, politely clapping his hands. That gesture did not ease my growing suspicion.

"Wren got an eight!" Mels exclaimed to Bri when we checked up on her in her apartment. She was sitting on the couch reading a book about the Capitol.

"Put that down, it's propaganda." I told her. I was deeply wary of everyone, and I did not trust the Capitol. If they were fake in their looks, how were their actions supposed to be natural? It was an artificial place.

"I tried telling her that earlier. She's not listening to anyone until she finds out about Peter." Nate told us, defeated. They had been having a few banters lately. It seems that the Games disrupted everyone's lives, and it was taking a toll.

"And what did you find?"

"I found a message to the Head Gamemaker saying that he should talk to Theo."

"About?"

"Don't know. Said that he should tell him that he talked to Four recently about something." she told the room.

"What? We haven't been in contact since he left to go to the Capitol two years ago."

"Exactly. But would Theo really trust him if his initial contact were Peter?"

"No, I suppose not." Isaac said in place of me. I was shocked.

"Peter is up to something. I don't know what, but he's out for blood. It's another Tris. Just a slower process this time. He's ready to throw all of us-and them-off the proverbial chasm."

"No." I refused to believe it.

I stormed out of the room and back down the stairs to my own apartment. Isaac and Mels followed me down. I was relieved to say that the three of us became closer after the reaping, and spent most of the time trying to give each other hope.

"I can't believe it. Peter was supposed to be Dauntless. He's turning into Eric. No, he's turning into Jeanine." I forgot that they didn't know who these people were, but they trusted my descriptions and nodded along anyway. Nice of them while I was in the middle of a crisis.  
"What are his motives though?" Mels asked. So she didn't know about their Divergence. Well, I wasn't going to be the one to tell her. She would find out soon enough if they came back. And if she didn't, well, no one had to know.

"That's what we're trying to figure out." I put my head into my palms, perplexed at the situation at hand. "I have to talk to Jada, see if they started using the technology." I told Isaac. I stood up quickly and left the room. "Don't follow me." I pointed at Mels, knowing she would if I let her. I slammed the door as soon as I left. I heard a frantic voice and loud footsteps after me.

"Wait, what technology? FOUR?" she shouted after me. Isaac held her back. "TOBIAS THEY'RE MY FRIENDS TOO. YOU DON'T OWN THEM." she screamed out the door.

I went to the control room and pulled up the list of recently contacted people. Jada was not there, but I found his name soon enough. The last time I had been to the Capitol was a year ago, Peter had asked me to go. I met Jada, and found his opinions and inside information on the Games to be unsettling and useful. In exchange for his rebellious nature and promise to keep in contact and update, I gave him Dauntless technology. Not Dauntless, that was a bad way to describe it. I gave him Divergent technology. Chips that made sure I, as a former leader, knew where the Divergents were, so that way I could keep them alive. It allowed me to keep an eye on the vitals and keep them alive. In return for me controlling their life status, it gave them control to amplify abilities in the Divergents so long as they focused on it. It was sort of an artificial intelligence I found out about from the Allegiant, something I found one day before the Purity War. It was a prototype no one was working on, so I modified it. What I didn't know was that it would be used on my friends.

I sighed, trying to keep back my screams and cries of anguish. It was awful enough as it was that my friends, consisting of a Dauntless leader and his girlfriend, the only tie to Tris I had-even that was a stretch-but now finding out Peter was hiding something, that just made it worse.

"Tobias Eaton." A voice came from the other side of the screen. The video chat was on.

"Jada. You have my members."

"Wren and Theo? Yes. The Divergents."

"Did you use the chip?"

"I implanted them on their first day."

"Are they activated?"

"No, but I told Wren that hers was."

"Why?" Why lie? "Did you tell her what they do?"

"No, and placebo can help so many things. If she's Divergent enough, then she'll be able to figure it out soon enough in the Arena."

"How much have you said?"

"She knows you made it, and she has figured out, I think, that they were made for protecting the Divergents."

I exhaled in relief. "Good. She can't know. Thank you for following my directions."

"But why can't she know? If it helps her abilities-"

"It'll drive her insane trying to figure out how to manipulate it." If this girl were anything like Tris, she would either reject the chip, or try to figure out how to use it for self sacrificing and saving everyone else. "And then she could get killed."

"But you said-"

"Yeah, and I don't know how it'll affect their vitals. I'm not sure how much of a blow they'll be able to take. And I don't want to find out. Activate them now. Keep them safe."

"I will." and the screen clicked off.


	39. Chapter 39

When Factions Collide

Chapter 38: Theo

I did not do public speaking. I hated public speaking. I was not afraid of public speaking, I was afraid of judgment. And people judged when there was public speaking. So therefore, I did not enjoy, love, associate, or do any public speaking, that's why Peter took care of the ceremonies back home. So what was today all about? Public speaking, obviously. In front of _everyone._

I lay in bed, my arms behind my head, simply freaking out. Wren curled into me, her hand sliding on its own accord across my ribs to sit on my bare stomach-I wasn't wearing a shirt, I got too lazy to change into something else last night. But not even her touch could distract me from loathing the day to come.

First, Anita would be coaching us separately for an hour each. Then, it was "practice", or what I called free time. Then we were to be styled one last time so we could look our best in front of the Capitol, in front of the Nation. For me, that didn't matter as much, but for the girls, it was the most pivotal moment of the day. At eight o'clock tonight, we would be interviewed and broadcast live throughout all the cities. I was not looking forward to it, and at the thought, my mouth was dry and I had a lump in my throat. What would they be asking me? Would people love me or hate me?

"Hey, Wren?" I whispered, my voice terse.

"Hm?" she opened her eyes and blinked sleep away.

"Do you enjoy public speaking?"

"Theo, you will be fine. Sleep, we have like five hours before we need to get up." it was five in the morning, I realised.

I sighed heavily. "Love you."

"What's this about anyway?" she was awake now, no denying it.

"You know my whole fear of judgment thing?"

"Mhm," she nodded against me, her fingers tracing absentmindedly around my abdomen.

"Well, that kind of goes with public speaking. What do you think people will think of me?"

"With a score like you have, and your face, only good things."

"You think so?"

"I know so." she then rolled over and grabbed the touchscreen panel of controls, turning on a public program. Since we were both awake, and she wanted sleep, hopefully the noise would lull us both unconscious again.

It may have worked for her, but not for me. I sat, trying to focus on the noise, or the sights outside, or her breathing, deep and slow and steady, or even the clock, watching as the minutes passed by agonizingly slow. Every time I attempted to close my eyes, I saw a crowd of Capitolites, or the Dauntless compound, staring at the screen, at me, laughing. My breathing picked up and my heart started racing. This is why judgment was still in my landscape, I could not get over it.

I had to get up, I had to do something. But what? Go downstairs? Maybe I would try going out on the terrace, see the city, see the sunrise. That's what I would do. Watch nature. So I quietly got out of bed, put on another shirt, and traveled outside the world of my girlfriend's room. I wanted her to come with me, but she wanted to rest, so I would let her.

I closed the door gently behind me and went up the stairs to the outdoor terrace. The sun was just coming over the horizon, red and yellow and orange as it rose. What a beautiful sight. If only Wren were with me. I had actually never really witnessed a sunrise before, and certainly not one like this. I imagined us back at the compound, on top of the Hancock building, watching as the sun came out from the water, the orange and red shining off of her hair, making it shine and her brilliant face would light up, the sun reflecting from her eyes. I imagined her laughing in awe, and her grabbing my hand and telling me that she loved me. I imagined our lives being different, actually getting to live them.

"Theo, what are you doing up so early?" I heard the groggy voice behind me.

"Adam? I should be asking you."

"I couldn't sleep, so I went on the couch."

"I couldn't sleep, so I came up here."

"Why?" we asked at the same time.

"Girlfriend." he responded.

"_Ex_ girlfriend." I reminded. "Public speaking." his eyes were awake at that. They widened as he took a breath and as he exhaled slowly, they returned to normal.

"Right, forgot about that. What will we say?"

"No idea. How are you, though?"

"Why do you care?"

"Listen, I don't particularly like you-"

"Obviously," he cut me off.

"But, I know her kind. I know her. God, do I know her. And I hate it. I hate all of those who are like her. And she actually kind of meant something to you. And she's going to try to make you feel bad about it. And I want to make sure you don't, because if it weren't for Wren, I would still be in a bad place because of her sister."

"Really?"

"Her sister threw herself off of the chasm, after leaving me a note."

"What did it say?"

"I don't remember anything."

"Oh, well, it couldn't have been that bad."

"No, that's what it said. 'I don't remember anything, Theo. This isn't your fault, but you could have helped me through it. But now it'll be easier for all of us, without me, because let's face it, you would rather spend your time helping people than listening to my opinion. Please don't take this the wrong way, I still love you, but I deserve a better life. So I'll venture into the afterlife to see if I find what I'm looking for.'"

"Ouch."

"They found her body on the edge of it the next morning, her wrists slit and her neck with bruises on it. They think that when she was jumping, she tried to strangle herself to be unconscious by the time she fell into the water." I hated reliving that memory. "So, Adam, no, I don't like you, but I do care, because that death was my fault. Or I thought it was. Erudites have a way with words, I'll warn you now. Don't think too hard on Caroline's."

"The sunrise, it's beautiful." that was his version of a thank you as he nodded.

"It is. I've never seen one."

"Really? I used to see them all the time, rising over the farms on Amity. But none can beat a skyline view." and the conversation stopped. I continued watching, sitting on the ledge, and he began walking around the terrace, looking at all the flowers. "You're lucky to have her." he said.

"I know."

"She's lucky to have you, too. I don't think we would have fit together." Strange.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, I think that you two are a perfect match. I'm too pessimistic." Really? Funny, he was saying that to the most pessimistic guy in the world. "That, and Amity and Abnegation don't fit together the way people think they do. Amity is carefree. We're happy, we think friendliness is necessary, and we don't do things to be selfless. It's not in our nature. We do things to be happy, for pleasure. Abnegation doesn't care about pleasure. Strange, but I think Abnegation and Erudite would be the best pairing. None of them care about pleasure when it comes to a personal pleasure, rather wanting to improve things for the entire community. That's why they hate each other, too, I think. Their morals are too similar, that they can compare them. When that one difference splits them off by a hair, then the arguments begin."

"You should have been Erudite."

"No, I don't think I could have survived."

"Why did you pick Dauntless then?"

"Because I wanted to show myself that I didn't have to be friendly all the time. I could just as easily show off and still be happy. I wanted to compete. But Caroline distracted me from that."

"Ah, I see." and the conversation ended again. I picked it back up. "Then why do you think Wren is lucky to have me?"

"You push her. You help her find her limits. Without you, I don't think she could ever be as brave. With me, I think I would have pushed her to be friendly, to not seek conflict. I wouldn't have taught her to defend herself." I never thought about it that way. "I think she keeps you under control, and I think that you both keep each other stable. I see the way you two can communicate just by a glance. I could never do that with Caroline."

"Thank you."

"I should get going, get a shower, talk to Anita. She's been helping me a bit."

"Yeah, I'll see you down there soon."

I sat looking into the clouds, the sun above the horizon now. The city was calm, quiet. I think I liked it better this way. I appreciated the liveliness of the Capitol, but I had enough of that in Dauntless. I wanted to go back there, where I could escape the noise if I wanted to, because here, here I could never escape. And if I came out alive, according to Anita, I don't think I ever would. So that left two options; deal with it for a few weeks every year coming back here, or die. No, I would not die. But maybe I could see myself here with Wren. Maybe, if every morning were like this, I could see myself waking up with her, coming up and seeing the sunrise, and living out our lives every day for a few weeks as a mentor for other tributes. We would be the first, as Chicago hadn't had a victor yet.

Adam seemed to make a fair point about the factions earlier. The way they all fit together, it's how Four always thought. Maybe tonight I would make a little dedication to him for teaching me so much. He was my trainer too, after all. I wondered why he never trained this year, I mean, I was only from last year. He was actually supposed to train, but he dropped out at the last minute. I could only think of one reason why. He had been at the Choosing Ceremony, when Wren was transferred. Of course he wouldn't want to train, it was another Tris situation. Why did life always come down to her? I knew she was important, but important enough to change the course of someone's life? The memories must have been powerful for him to have her remind him of Tris. Then again, she reminded Peter of her as well. But the more I thought how she changed my life, the more apparent it became that we all needed her for something. We all needed each other, actually. For friendship, for love, for family, we all relied on each other for support.

And suddenly, for the interview, I didn't feel so scared anymore.


	40. Chapter 40

When Factions Collide

Chapter 39: Theo

I waited for Adam to get done with Anita and his time to rehearse and practice for the interview. However, he was not done after one hour. He went in at around seven, half an before I came in. I knew they were probably talking about other things, but I wanted to have a chance to work on my interview, my lack of speaking skills.

Wren sat next to me, her feet on my lap and smiling every so often at me. I smiled back, winking to let her know I was okay. I wasn't scared of speaking anymore, no, but I was still a bit preoccupied with my thoughts.

"What time did you end up waking?" I asked to make conversation. Normally I was okay with the silence, but right now it was anything but relaxing, it was everything I didn't need.

"Oh, around seven thirty. I didn't actually get up til about eight fifteen, though." that explained why I didn't see her until about twenty minutes ago. It was about nine ten now.

"Where did you go?" she asked me.

"I just went to the terrace, I saw the sunrise." I said, and she nodded. "I had never seen one until today."

"I've never seen one either."

"When we go back to the compound, we're going to go to the top of Hancock and watch one. And then we're going to zip-line down." I smiled at her, rubbing my hand up her leg and leaning over toward her.

"I think I would like that very very much." she eyed me coyly.

"Theo, you're next?" Anita dismissed Adam from the room.

"Well, wish me luck."

"This isn't the real thing!"

"It's close enough!" I stuck my tongue out at her and walked in.

"Hello, Theo. So, we're getting you ready for the interview today. Are there any concerns of yours?" she asked me after I closed the door to her room.

"I have never done public speaking in my life."

"Dauntless don't have to?"

"Nope. And I was too afraid at Erudite."

"You were a transfer?"

"Yup."

"Well, the first thing is language. I don't want you just saying yes or no to Caesar, so you should expand on your answers. Like this; did you transfer to Dauntless?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Why?"

"I think it was because I wanted to overcome all of my fears, I wanted to be free from having to know everything. The pressure of knowledge, at least."

"That was excellent! But of course, he might not give you follow ups like I did. So you should phrase it to be one coherent thought.

"Got it."

"Can I ask you a few more questions, maybe mimic the scene a bit?"

"By all means."

"Are the efficiencies the same here as they are at home?"

"Well, the experience has been totally different. I mean, the loud noise, the boisterous activity, that's all the same at Dauntless. But the real thing is everyone's attitude. Everyone here is so open, so friendly. You don't get that at Dauntless. You have to work your way up. Here, you're already considered royalty."

"That was excellent. I can see how you came from Erudite." It was true, I could be an eloquent speaker when I didn't have to think about it, but when I was coaching myself earlier, I thought I was going to have to. In fact, Anita told me the opposite. Be myself and everything would come naturally. Just remember my roots and it would all be okay. No one would judge me.

"I don't think I'm afraid anymore."

"Just one last thing?"

"Of course."

"Theo, how do the factions get along at home? Are they still okay?"

"What? Yeah, I mean they're fine. Erudite and Abnegation get along better, but they're still in a passive aggressive enmity with each other."

"Figures. What about the Divergents?"

"They're treated better."

"Are you?"

"Would you tell anyone if I was?"

"I am, for Amity and Erudite."

"That's an odd pairing. I got seventy five percent Dauntless, fifteen percent Candor, and ten for Erudite."

"And your girlfriend?"

"She was eighty percent Dauntless, fifteen Erudite, and five Candor."

"Is the city still set up like it was?"

"Yes."

"I haven't seen the full city for five years. It's been a while."

"I know. It's still the same, believe me."

"I want to go back, but I like being an ambassador. Theo, it's up to you four to make sure Chicago is known. People still look at us like we're children. It's up to you to bring the Dauntless into it. And Theo?" I got up to go as she ushered me out. "You're coming out alive. It's not a premonition. I know you are."

"Oh...kay?" I was standing on the other side of the room. So first Jada, then Xavier, and now Anita. Why were they sure we were coming out? Why were they interested in the factions? Why were they interested in me?

"Wren?" Anita called about five minutes later as I sat down. We hugged each other and I kissed the top of her head. I was not losing this girl. Whatever was happening, it would happen to both of us. Together or not at all.


	41. Chapter 41

_**AN: Wow it's been a while since I updated! So I've been on vacation for a while so I haven't been writing as much, so this will be a shorter update. But I'm so glad you all are sticking with me, because it's gonna be fun finishing this:) expect a sequel because I already have one planned out! Happy Reading and keep on doing what you do!~**_

* * *

When Factions Collide

Chapter 41: Wren

When Anita called me in, Theo came up to me and gave me a hug. What was that for? He has been acting so differently, so bipolar. I really just wanted to get out of here, this place was affecting us so much. But I knew that things would be hard, and I wasn't giving up.

"Hello Wren, please sit." she looked a bit scared of me. Not surprising with what I was wearing. I dug through the wardrobe and found a fishnet black blouse, black jeans with gold embellishments up the side, and black stilettos. I looked the figure of Dauntless, and she was Erudite.

"Hello, Anita." I sat down, calm in my approach.

"You and Theo, how long have you been dating?"

"For about seven weeks."

"Keep him around. But Wren, don't inform him of anything we're going to talk about. I talked to Jada last night. He was in contact with Four."

"Four? What does Four want with us?"

"He wanted to inform you that Bri, one of your fellow members, is looking up Peter's life. She suspects that he put you in as one of the tributes. I myself don't know how it would be rigged, but she is trying to figure it out."

"What? Peter is my friend. He wouldn't do anything."

"That's what Four said too. But he is. But Wren, Four made sure you were staying alive. He wants you back for a reason."

"Okay, and how is he going to do that?" I crossed my arms.

"That chip in your neck. Have you been acting differently? Has Theo?"

"He has, I feel fine. Well, no, I guess I've been more quiet lately."

"It's the chip. Four is back home assessing your vitals. I was told by Jada to tell you, because he couldn't risk it, being in contact with Four. But I don't know him, so it was okay for me to tell you."

"So he's doing what to me?"

"The chip is a piece of artificial intelligence, designed to keep you alive and safe from any damage. It essentially keeps track of your vitals and restarts, shuts down, or alters any specific one, once it gets used to the homeostasis your bodily environment creates. It attaches itself to the pituitary gland. That gland connects to the brain, and it picks up and intercepts messages going throughout the body. Essentially, you have a good chance of not dying. The chip also allows an extra pathway to be made, amplifying any ability you have as you-or your mind subconsciously-sees fit." My knife throwing. So it wasn't talent?

"When were they activated?"

"Just yesterday, after the scores were announced." Oh. It was real.

"What abilities will it enhance?"

"That's all I can really tell you. Jada told me not to tell you much about the second part, or else you would fiddle around with the technology."

"No, I want to know."

"I'm afraid I told you all I know. He only gave me limited information."

"Well you're Erudite! Figure it out!" I shouted.

"Logically, I think that the chip enhances abilities by making you learn it faster, and it solidifies the ability by putting it into practical use. Essentially, within the right environment, you could learn anything within a few minutes. You said you were empathetic?" she recalled earlier information I had slipped into conversation.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Imagine being able to almost...how can I put this...read people."

"Like their minds?"

"No, but just be able to analyze them. You and Theo, you're Divergents. You would both be able to get a feel for other people, almost copy them."

"So these chips...they will enhance our ability to mimic other people."

"If that's what you choose to do with the technology. Of course, that's just my take on it. You'll have to talk to Four after the Games."

"What do you mean?"

"Because he was the one who created the technology."

Four created the technology for us to copy other people? Four was able to make artificial intelligence? God, he really was good with computers. But if he was able to keep us alive, that meant that we were needed for something back home. Another Divergent uprising? I thought we were done with those. Oh, but wait, the other cities' Divergents. An overthrow of the government? Was he conspiring with other cities to make a coup? A coup for what? What did the Capitol do to us? They weren't like they were before either, according to the history I've learned. So what then? A coup for what? A national Purity War. Not just an inter-faction war, but an inter-district war. We were going to war after this. That was my conclusion. Hopefully I was wrong.

"How much can I tell Theo?" I could keep secrets, but I didn't want to around him.

"You must tell him nothing. If he really gets curious, then he can talk to Four after the games."

"Thank you, Anita."

"I'm here to help. Do you actually need help on your speaking skills?"

"No, I think I'm fine."

"You seem quite the eloquent speaker."

"But why are you telling me and not him?"

"Because you had more of an aptitude for Erudite than he does, and less of a Candor."

"Four told Jada my aptitude results?"

"No, Theo did."

"Why?"

"I asked him about it."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because I'm Divergent too, and Jada trusts me. And Four trusts Jada."

"If you try to come after me, or make me fight in a battle I don't want to, I will personally kill you."

"I understand that and take that threat to mean that you're on board with surviving the Hunger Games. Get ready for the interviews tonight, that's the final test."

"Final test for what?"

"Think of it as initiation. First, they're going to test your initial reaction, your emotional reaction to being adored. Second, they're going to make you train and show off your physicality. Third, the mental readiness and preparation for the Games. This is it, your final test."

"Until what?"

"Until you win. If you make it through tonight, you'll be adored by the Capitol, and they'll have no choice but to help you. If you fail, or make a fool out of yourself, you could very well die and Four won't be able to stop it."

"So you want me to become one of _them_? _Four_ wants _me_ to become a Capitolite?"

"For the time being, until you can get back to Dauntless."

"This isn't what I was prepared for. I will _not_ just be some puppet."

"You won't be. This will be over and you'll go back to living your life, like you wanted. Think of it as a chance to show off being Dauntless."

"Yeah, I've tried that."

"Just trust me on this, Wren. I care about the Divergents. I do. But you're going to have to go along with the Capitol and not question anything until afterward. After the Games, ask me anything, I'll tell you. For now, I am begging you for your trust."

"If you betray me or Theo, I'll kill you. I'm dead serious." I looked at her with a glare, searing into her own eyes. She held my eye contact. She wasn't lying.

"I promise, I'm telling the truth. But you have to put on a show."

We shook hands and I left, slamming the door as I exited the room.

* * *

_**AN: A bit slow, this one is, yeah. But it's gonna move along quickly, so keep up:)**_


	42. Chapter 42

When Factions Collide

Chapter 42: Wren

After I walked out, Caroline was called in, and she went in not speaking nor looking at me. Good. She got the message that no one wanted her around. I hoped it would stick. It wouldn't, she would try something later, who knows, maybe in front of national television. There was always a chance.

I didn't realise that my argument and discussion was so heated with Anita, but immediately upon sitting down, Theo wiped away a stray tear on my face. That was when I started actually crying, afraid of telling him, but also afraid of the consequences of keeping a secret. Adam came over to console me as well. Theo didn't discourage it. Neither did I at the moment.

"Hey, Wren, what's wrong?" Theo cooed. "You couldn't have possibly been that bad, not as bad as me." he put on a goofy smile. That made me laugh a little, just one short burst of laughter before it turned into a sob.

"I'm sorry. I just...I don't know what's going on anymore."

"Did she tell you the same thing?"

"About what?" I blinked fresh tears out of my eyes.

"You know, just making you reminisce about Erudite and Amity. Those were the two factions she looked up to the most." his hint was for her Divergence. It wasn't lost on me. So she wasn't lying.

"Yeah, yeah she did."

"We're not alone." he whispered lowly into my ear, kissing my earlobe.

"I don't know what to do about anything. I thought I did but I was wrong." I brought my knees to the couch and put my face down to them. I wrapped my arms around my legs and breathed out, my body trembling.

"Okay, well," Theo started, rubbing my back. "I'll tell you what we're going to do. We're going to be Dauntless. We're going to win. You and I are going to stay alive." he held out his fist for me to tap with mine. I gave him a pound and smiled, sitting up a bit. He knew just how to cheer me up, but I started to see how different he was acting, how different I was acting. The chips were definitely active. I leaned into him, his arm coming around and shielding me.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you." he promised to me, his lips touching my hair and his hin resting on my head for a long time.

At around three, all four of our stylists and their assistants came in to start getting us ready. "Beauty Base Zero" as they called it, was to be done here, and the actual makeup and hair and clothing was to be done at the station. My three assistants, Sadie, Riotte and Evra loved having me. They thought I was fairly easy to make over because I was complacent, already "decent" enough, and I didn't usually cake on makeup like everyone else, and I wasn't doing hard labour so my skin wasn't dirty like a lot of other tributes they had in the past. They also loved talking to me because I could keep up with the Capitol gossip and their conversations, and when I wasn't paying attention, I was easily maneuvered and styled.

Sadie was my favourite, her hair and eyes both electric blue, and her skin almost a bluish white. Her lips were almost always painted black like her nails. The first time I saw her, the first day I got here, I wasn't even a little bit scared. Of the hair and eyes, I mean. The skin was kind of creepy at first, but once I got used to it, her expressions were almost fun to look at, as she was extremely animated. Her voice was soft but smooth, it almost reminded me of the way Bri talked, and she had the best jokes.

Once they cleaned me down, they loaded me and the other twenty three tributes into a limousine to take us to the station, where we would meet our stylists, dress in a capitol piked garment-meaning I would _not_ look Dauntless-and go on stage to be interviewed. I kept in mind what Anita had said, that this was the final initiation of sorts, and I acted the part of the Capitol Darling to my assistants. Now it was time to do the same act on national television. I wondered how the compound would feel about that.

"Jada," I embraced my stylist. He looked different, and it wasn't just the sunglasses he wore, although we were inside. It was his eyes. They were gold. He wasn't wearing eyeliner, his actual irises and lashes were gold.

"How lovely to see you." He also had gold and black on, symbolizing Dauntless.

"You're wearing all of our colors!"

"How could I not? I have to match my tribute," he put his hand on the small of my back and ushered me to a private room where he would personally do my hair and makeup. "How much have you figured out? And how much did Anita tell you?"

"Everything you told her to tell me, and I figured a lot out for myself." I said vaguely, scowling. "Jada, I want answers."

"I know, I know," his face blanched a bit, leaving him a bit pale, paler than I was. "I can't really give you any, though, Four has all the answers."

"I better be getting out of these Games unscathed so I can beat in his face until he spills. What kind of revolution are you planning?"

"Sh, quiet down. They're still listening."

"What do you mean?"

"There are cameras, it's a public building after all."

"Wait, what?" I was unfamiliar with the concept of being watched.

"They have cameras set up, they can hear things." he pointed to the door. Sure enough, there was a small lens poking out, barely noticeable if it wasn't something I was looking for.

"Oh." I was quiet.

"Four isn't planning anything, yet. Not until he finds out if Peter did anything."

"So there is no overthrow?"

"No. Why would there be an overthrow of all the districts?"

"Just making sure things weren't large scale." I looked down, almost ashamed that I thought such a thing.

"There would only be you and Theo going with the Dauntless against Peter."

"Why do you know this?"

"Four and I have been friends for a little while. I'm his eyes and ears for the Games and any changes from the Capitol." he stood proud.

"Have you been to Dauntless?" I stood straight and crossed my arms.

"Four promised me I would get to come back with you when you won."

"Then who will be his eyes and ears?"

"The assistants."

I looked at him suspiciously. "They're loyalty is to me first and foremost. Besides, I'll have to come back, or else the Capitol will think I've gone missing."

"Fine. But I expect answers." I waggled my finger at him and he pat me on the back.

"Let's make you look Dauntless, shall we?"

"I am Dauntless." I replied, showing him the meaning of a _true_ Dauntless.

An hour and a half later, my face was painted and pore-less. I looked like a living statue, with my face bronze, my body luckily matching, and my eyes gold again. He put in colored contacts to change my eye colour, and lined them with black eyeliner heavily to make the gold pop. My lips had a gold shimmer to them, but the real focus was going to be my eyes, I could see that. My hair was half up at the top, in a sort of flame-like masterpiece. The bottom half was dyed black for the evening, making it look singed from the coals of Dauntless.

The dress he put me into was stunning. "My own creation." he had told me, pleased at his work on the mannequin.

"I thought the outfits were Capitol based."

"They're stylist based. But we're part of the Capitol, give us credit."

"Look at it, its so..." I walked around the dress, feeling the gold material that glittered every time I looked at it, every angle reflecting the light.

"Dauntless?"

"Me."

"Let's get you into the dress."

By the end of the fitting, I was truly Capitol. But I was not only Capitol, not only Dauntless, I was Royalty. The dress could not be fitted with such labels, because it was a dress made for someone majestic, for someone worthy enough to slip into it, to let the dress fall upon them. If the wrong person put it on, it wore them, not the other way around.

"You look breathtaking."

"Do you think they'll like it?"

"They'll love it." He told me. I looked in the mirror and spun once. It was a high low golden dress with a criss-cross halter neckline. It was backless, the sleeves hung down from my shoulders, and there was a chain hanging off of each one. There were black accents underneath, but he wanted to show off the gold, the courage that we had represented in it. I looked like a Grecian goddess that I had once seen in a book I found in the apartment in the Capitol.

"We still have time to sit down and talk a little, if you want to." he gestured to the couch that overlooked the stadium seating of the broadcast centre.

"What is it like, living in here all the time?"

"It gets loud. But when you're born here, it's something that you live with."

"I see,"

"What is Dauntless like?"

I wanted to say I knew everything about it. I wanted to say I could teach him everything he needed to know. But I couldn't. I had only been a member for two days before this. "I don't know yet." I told him honestly.

"Haven't you been there for a while?"

"Six weeks is not enough to know a place."

"True, but what can you tell me?"

"The people there are some of the most loud, annoying, insane people I know. But we're a family. We have each others' backs. And we rely on each other. I say we're insane, but we're not. We're brave and courageous and noisy and outgoing, and we're Dauntless. There's no good way to describe us. Faction before Blood pretty much sums us up. We're loyal." Loyal. That was a good word. I liked that word. Dedicated. Everything I wanted to be, that's what we were. I saw why I fit there now.

"You're only sixteen?" he asked me.

"Yes." I nodded.

"How mature you are." he was just nineteen.

"You're only three years my senior and already you have more fame than I can attest to."

"Wren, look at you, you're a tribute. Soon you'll be a victor. You'll have done more in sixteen years than I'll do in a lifetime. Remember that."

"We've got our lives ahead of us, Jada."

"That we do." and we waited for the show to start.


	43. Chapter 43

When Factions Collide

Chapter 43: Tobias

"Would you all shut _up_?" Mels shushed us as we sat in front of Bri's television. "The interviews are about to start and I don't want to miss Wren's." she held on to Isaac's arm, afraid and excited about what was to come.

Today Bri took a break from spying on Peter and got into the spirit of the Games. We all stayed in the Pit and played slap games, our own little single elimination round. It was me against Mels in the last one, now that she forgave me, and she beat me in Egyptian Ratscrew, a card game that the Dauntless all knew from birth. Nate and Bri taught us, now that they were getting along again. No one seemed to question me after yesterday, not even Mels. I don't know why, if I were them, I would want to know _everything_. They were not Divergent.

"Tonight, we see our twenty four tributes in front of the nation," Caesar spouted off his monologue, obviously rehearsed. I tuned out until I saw the first one go up, Caroline.

"Caroline, Caroline Fletcher of Chicago. How are you tonight, Caroline?"

"Well, it's hard to say. I'm so happy to be in the Capitol. I have never felt so accepted by anyone ever before."

"Well, I'm glad we can make your acquaintance!" he laughed and the audience cheered with him. "Caroline, how is it in Chicago? You're the only city to have factions."

"It's sort of like having a city in a city. You have your main community which people use to visit each other or do business or just to take your mind off of work, free time or pleasure, and then you have life in the compounds, which is totally different." she smiled at the camera. I couldn't bear to listen to this anymore, so I got up and grabbed the bottle of liquor that was on her counter in the kitchenette. I didn't really think to put it in a glass, I just kind of sipped it from the bottle.

"Mouth off my brandy." Bri said, looking at me from the corner of her eyes. "She's gone, anyway." it had only been three minutes. That's it? That's how long they got? Must be in a hurry. I laughed to myself, everything in the Capitol was rushed.

I came in and sat back down just as Caroline was being announced again and she walked off stage. She looked awful. Well, good to them, their Capitol style. But it was not how I had hoped they would represent the faction.

"Wren Tailor!" he exclaimed as she walked up the stairs. Wow. _That_ was the true meaning of Dauntless. She looked somber as she ascended the stairs, when the camera was just panning in, but when her face was in range, and when she was going to sit down, escorted by Caesar, she put on a brave face. Almost cocky. Almost Tris. I shook my head to remind myself. These were my memories, trying to imprint themselves on another person that was not her.

"She looks beautiful." Mels stared at the gold dress in awe.

"Her stylist must know Dauntless." Payton said.

Mels turned her head towards me. Maybe not so forgiven. "Yeah, yeah he sure does."

I sat back down and looked at the screen, trying desperately not to see my friend's girlfriend as Tris. It didn't work too well, which made it worse for me. But somehow, I was able to come out of my daze and memories of when she was alive and focus on the interview.

"So, tell me, Wren, you were from Dauntless, correct?"

"Absolutely. But I was a transfer from Abnegation. But I'm brave. I feel better in Dauntless, that's for sure."

"You were one of three tributes to get an eight. What can you say to that?"

"Back home, since we're like the police of the city, they train us for ten weeks as initiates. We only got six weeks this time, but I learned to fight there, to protect myself. I feel like I have a pretty good chance in the Games." she smirked. I laughed. She had no idea.

Caesar laughed as well, delighted by her. "And what is your view of the Capitol? I hear that you're always out and about." Was that true? So she liked the Capitol?

"Its so different. Almost too colorful. But I love it, its completely how I pictured it. I'm living the dream!"  
"Glad you love it! One more question. You said earlier you feel brave. What do you mean, brave? And do you think that the Games will be like another initiation for you?"  
"I feel like I've already been initiated by you all, you accept me so much." there were cheers and applause. She was playing them up. "But in Dauntless, there are these things we go through. Fear simulations. I'm not afraid to admit, I was afraid of the reaping. Of being picked. Now I know that I just have to face my fears. So I feel brave. I feel confident that I'm going to make it out, and that I'm going to get out of my fear. I will be Dauntless, and not even the Games can stop that." she was looking directly at the camera now. I felt like she was staring into me.

"Thank you, Wren Tailor!" he helped her up and she stood there, the crowd cheering. More of an applause than Caroline. She was loved.

"Brilliant. She was good." Bri said. We were all kind of in this together, keeping her alive. Them by spirit and support, but me by the technology.

"We need to do something, though." Erin said.

"Like what?"

"Raise the funds to buy her the parachutes. We can do that, right?"

"I thought they were only for the Capitol people."

"If we raise the money, then we can do it."

I interrupted. "How are we going to get inter-faction support enough to raise Capitol money to buy her and Theo ways to stay alive? Within a few days?"

"Everyone watches the programs. They just saw Wren. They're going to see Theo. They saw Caroline. And they'll see Adam."

"Erudite will be pairing up with Caroline, you know that." I crossed my arms and stood.

"Yeah, but they could also be pairing with Theo. We have Dauntless support, and Four, you should talk to Abnegation."

"No way. Not happening. No. I don't associate with that place anymore."

"What? It's not like Marcus or Evelyn are going to be there. You can see the leader." Except they were wrong, because they both lived there.

"I was done with them a while ago."

"I thought you and Evelyn were on good terms." Isaac turned to me. We were, but she was still manipulative.

"We're okay. I just don't want to go."

"Four, you're going."

"Why can't Isaac go, he's the Dauntless leader for God's sake!"

"Isaac needs to stay here and rally, because he's a Dauntless leader." Bri threw my own words back at me. "You're going. Don't make me get Peter. I may not like him, but he can still technically order you around." I hated the fact that even _Peter_ had more power than me. But I did willingly give it up.

"Fine. I'll go. But don't get upset if they can't get the funds to raise for her."

* * *

It was about ten when the interviews ended, but we only stuck around to watch Theo's. The rest of the interviews were boring, so we played cards. Theo's was good, but they focused on more of the "How was training?" and "What do you think of the Quell?" political talk with the males. It was almost boring to watch, they only asked Theo about his life in Dauntless. When he replied he was a leader, Caesar sat up straighter and asked how he acquired the position. But that was it. After that, it was all Quell talk.

I didn't want to see them tortured in the Arena, I didn't. But I didn't want to go to Abnegation either. We should have just gone to Candor. In fact, that didn't seem like such a bad idea. Maybe Christina could help. After the War, she went back to her family so they could spend their time together, but at least she didn't have to go through their initiation. The first few years after Tris died were too hectic to take a faction count anyway, so people ended up switching factions or going back to their home.

I walked down through the glass doors and caught the train to the city. I knew that Candor was right near Erudite, and their lights would still be on. The only faction who closed down at ten was of course, Abnegation. Pure and simple. I sat down against the wall and stared out the door, reliving all the memories. God, would she hate me if she found out what I was trying to do now. Or maybe it would have been her going to Abnegation instead of me. Sometimes I felt fine, and other times I felt sick, like I couldn't move because she was dead. It was still hard for me to think of her as actually gone. She would have loved to go back to Abnegation, where Caleb transferred back to after the War. I would have joined her. That was the other reason I didn't want to go, because I didn't want to see Caleb, yet another memory of her. It was bad enough to see almost a ghost of what was through Wren, the last thing I needed was a family tie.

As the train approached the center of the city, about half a mile from Erudite Headquarters, I took a deep breath and jumped. I had been in the city a lot of times, but not usually at night. As I ran through the streets that were mostly empty, there were a lot of Candor and Erudite looking at me. A Dauntless elite running to-or from-something, especially alone? Almost unheard of.

About seven minutes later, I reached the Candor Headquarters, which was a little west of the Erudite. I saw people talking in the lobby and wondered where Christina would be. It was a foreign place, I had only been here once or twice in the days before the War, so I wasn't quite sure where everything was. All I remembered was the room where I spilled my darkest secrets under the truth serum.

I approached the desk. "Christina, do you know where she is?"

"To your left, up two floors, her family's apartment." the man behind the desk gave me a funny look. What could a Dauntless possibly want with a Candor? I guess I kind of helped to revolutionize the whole inter-faction relationship, it wasn't like we couldn't talk to anyone or stay secluded anymore, but people liked order, so they had it.

I ran to the elevator and pressed the button. Immediately it opened and I went up two floors. To my right, a couple doors down, I found their home and knocked.

"Who is it?" Christina's voice sounded from the other side, and I heard her footsteps come nearer. Thin walls.

"It's me." she knew my voice well enough.

"Four." she opened the door and leaned against the side. She was dressed in a white suite, her black heels the source of the noise. "What are you doing here? Trouble in Dauntless?"

"Trouble all around. You know the tribute, Wren, yeah?"

"Yeah, I mean, I don't know her, but she was convincing on the television. Seemed to know what she was talking about."

"Yeah, well, we're making a campaign for her and Theo."

"What's this about, Tobias?" I hated when people used my real name. The only person that I actually wanted to say my name was gone, and everyone else only used Tobias when there was something wrong or they were upset at me. It was like they were chastising me, like a child.

"May I come in?" I stepped over the threshold.

"I suppose, since you just intruded anyway." she turned her back to me and invited me in. "What kind of a campaign is this?"

"You know how the Capitol has the lifesaving things, the parachutes that help to make sure they live? Dauntless wants to get an inter-faction campaign going. We think since Erudite will be closed off again and support Caroline, and Amity for Adam, and Dauntless for Theo, we need to do something for Wren. I'm going to talk to Abnegation tomorrow." I tried not to sound frantic, and I convinced myself pretty well. I would hopefully convince Christina. She scrutinized my every word, every syllable that came out of my mouth. She folded her arms on the table.

"I'll help, but only for you, for Dauntless, and the fact that we both know that Abnegation doesn't have a lot of funds to waste. But Tobias-"

"No, I know what you're going to say. I know she's not Tris."

"And if you try to play out your little fantasy that she is, then what will her legacy, all that you and she worked for, what will that be worth?"

"That's why I need her out alive, so I can continue on with that legacy. Besides, she's dating Theo, and you know I still love Tris."

"I know. And that's why it's not a good idea to get involved with her." She didn't look anything like her, absolutely not. But the way she talked and the way she carried herself and the way she revered Tris made me make the comparisons. And Christina knew me well enough to know exactly what was going on in my mind, sometimes even before I knew.

"Just help me out, Christina."

"I'll do my best. Go back to Dauntless. I'll come with you to make the case to Abnegation tomorrow."

"What about Candor?"

"We'll make both cases tomorrow. Get some rest." She walked me out of her apartment. "It was good seeing you again, Tobias." she smiled and closed the door. I walked out of the compound back to the train, scared of what I would face the next day.

* * *

**_AN: FOuR! I love writing him. I already know I don't do as good of a job as Veronica Roth but...he is her character, so I'm just going off what I've read about him. Christina is another one of my favourites and what would a Divergent crossover be without them? So no, I'm not as good as Roth. I know this. BUT I am trying!_**


	44. Chapter 44

When Factions Collide

Chapter 44

Wren

After the interviews, we all went straight back to our abode. We had no idea what to expect for the next day, of course we didn't. That was it. We weren't sure about anything at this point, Theo and I. All we could do on the way back was reach for each other and look out the window, seeing the city that engulfed us for five days, spitting us out into a new life. That new life would eventually do the same thing. So it is for change, digesting and transforming things, wrecking havoc in their wake, and yet, managing to build them up and throw them back out into the fire, so that way they could thrive in any new environment. That was what I hoped would be the best case scenario for us, seeing as we weren't allowed to die and Four was tinkering with life and death itself.

As soon as we got back, I got dressed in a comfortable shirt and silk pants. They were black, thank God. A final reminder of what was to come, and how I was supposed to be Dauntless. I may have been on the television, but the whole room was silent as we all sat with each other, the somber mood working its way through each of us. This was the only time I felt part of the whole, like I understood where everyone was coming from. Even Caroline joined us. I sat by the window. Theo sat next to me on the floor.

"Better get some rest." Anita suggested as she walked to her own room.

"I'm fine, thanks." I looked at her. "Goodnight."

She looked at me with her face in a twisted, sullen smile. "Goodnight." she murmured, dimming the lights. "Enjoy the final celebration." and she left, not being able to take anymore.

"I wonder if that's an act every year or if she genuinely cares?" Adam thought out loud.

"Not sure, but the celebration is brighter than ever. Must be what, midnight?" I voiced back.

"They come at six tomorrow."

"So do we stay up?"

"For a little while. I don't think I can sleep with the thought of killing anyone in my head." Caroline was the one who answered. Funny, how in a moment of death someone always becomes their best. A laugh escaped me. There was no comment after that.

"I don't know how they expect us to kill. I've never even killed anyone." Theo complained.

"I don't want to waste time thinking about it." Caroline got up to leave half an hour later when the conversation resumed. "I'm going to not think, and I'm going to sleep until I have to kill." and she left.

Theo and I looked around. Three left out of the five that were here. We would be the ones up all night, the ones constantly thinking, the ones in the Arena who were alive because they were so used to being sleep deprived. We were the ones who would make it out alive. Well, two of us were. The other one had no chance. There didn't need to be any discussion, we all knew who it was.

"I love you." I said simply, to no one in particular. Theo would know I meant it to him.

"Stop, this isn't the last time you'll say it."

"Can't I grieve?" I suddenly became moody. I blamed the chip.

"Grieve over what? You know we're coming out!" his voice was clipped. This was our first real argument. I didn't like it.

I looked at Adam, who perked his head up and reciprocated my stare. "I'm sorry." I said lowly.

Theo's look softened a bit. "Oh, oh Wren, Wren I forgot."

"It's not just me I'm grieving over. I don't care who dies, there are still deaths of the innocent going on. It's not fair."

"It's a necessary evil."

"Not necessary, too evil."

"We can't just start a war over this."

"No. No we can't. Not alone. But I think I know someone who can." and I was the third who left. Theo didn't follow me.

* * *

Theo

I sat after she left, thinking. I knew she was mad, but I didn't want to fight right before the games. She was probably just worked up. I didn't want to disturb her, so I just took her spot by the window, waiting for Adam to bring something up like he usually did. He never spoke, so I started.

I exhaled loudly. "Are you scared?"

"I already accepted the fact that I'm a dead man."

"That's not Dauntless."

"Because I'm not. I'm Amity. Bri was right from the start, so was Wren. I should go back to where I came."

"You know, if you are a victor-"

"That's not happening."

"I said _if_," I didn't want him to be a victor. "Then you would be loved throughout Dauntless. It would be the ultimate act of bravery, defeating the Games. Just focus on that."

"Is that what's getting you through it?"

"If I die, then I have someone I love dying right beside me. I'm sorry you don't have the same, because _that's_ what'll get me through."

I went into our bedroom and found her asleep on top of the covers. I figured she was too tired to care about the cold, but then I saw her tear streaked face. It had been forty five minutes since she had left, but how long had she been crying? They almost looked fresh.

I changed into a pair of sweatpants they had-fancy sweatpants-and didn't bother putting a shirt on. I climbed into bed with her and slowly slid my hand up her side, bringing the shirt up with me. I slid my hand under it and kept it around her waist, feeling how smooth and soft her skin was. I wasn't sure if she was awake, but I felt her hand complete mine and our fingers locked together. She turned over to me and kissed me, and it was a long time until we fell asleep.

* * *

Wren

Morning came too soon, going on two hours of sleep. I was rudely waken by Anita, who told me to go up to the roof within two minutes. I opened my eyes and accepted the fact that today was the day I was going to have to start being a murderer. I looked at Theo, just to see him one last time.

"I love you." I told him. He looked up at me and we didn't take our eyes off of each other until I left the room. Girl tributes were always called first.

I met Jada outside, and he led me to the roof where there was an aircraft carrier waiting for all the tributes. I went in and took the seat I was led to, being strapped in. Someone came by me and injected a chip into my arm, a locating device. Theo was supposed to board across from me in three minutes.

Sure enough, he was injected after he was seated across from me. He looked at me, both fear and yearning in his brown eyes. It was the first time I had ever seen him look like that, and at that moment I was sure our faces matched. His lips were slightly parted, eyebrows knitted, and I realised that this was everything in his fear landscape. He was in his fear landscape, practically, but the only problem was there was no way out. For us, there wouldn't be unless Four shut off the chips. But once they attached to our brains, there would be no way of ever stopping it, not until this was all over. Even if I wanted to die at this second, I couldn't.

The ride itself was smooth, and Aeryn and Cali made a habit of checking up on this, as they were seated four seats down from me. It lasted about fifty minutes total before we were landing. Once we were stationary, we were escorted out and met our stylists to begin the final preparation. My stomach was in knots by the time we got into the room. I would not see anyone until the Games.

"Wren," Jada embraced me as soon as the door was shut. "Wren I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"Not telling you anything about the chip sooner, for being here, for having to kill people. All of it."

"Nothing to be sorry for. Luck of the draw." I deadpanned. I was trying not to cry, to get emotional.

"Let's get you ready." he pointed to the grey suit. Abnegation. I was not Dauntless in this moment.

"It can't be too cold if it's grey, so there must be some sun in the arena. It's also very light, and it's a wind resistant material, almost like a windbreaker. So sunny, warm, and windy. Almost like a mountain."

"Mountains can get warm?"

"Some. Besides, the Capitol can do what they want. They engineer it." I was prepared for anything at this point. Although I did not look Dauntless in the grey suit, my hair in a tight bun, I felt the adrenaline pumping through my blood, and suddenly, when I looked at myself, I saw the body that the Dauntless compound had created. I was lean. I was strong. And I could kill.

"One last thing," he brought the necklace I had been forced to take off last night. I guess I never picked it up.

"My token." Theo's necklace would be my token, the thing that every tribute was allowed to have.

"That way you two will always be together."

"We have no choice at this point, according to Four."

"That's true too. Sit with me." We had about ten minutes until the Games would count down.

"The Cornucopia. Do you know about it?"

I nodded. I may have been new at this, but I was no idiot. There were always about six or seven tributes killed there.

"I would be safe and tell you to run away, but I'm not. Listen, this is a Quell, and you're not going to die. Go in. Get knives. Get water or whatever is light enough for you to run with. Take Theo, and _run_." his eyes widened at the last word. "And something else, Wren,"

"Yeah?" I had gotten up to wait to be taken to the Arena.

"Put up a fight, Dauntless."

"Always will." I smiled.

The door to the glass tube closed and I heard a voice come over the speaker and say there were ten seconds until I was to be taken up. I wasn't claustrophobic, so it was okay, but I couldn't help but think that Four would hate it in here. He would be fine in the Arena, but here, before the Games itself, is where he would have died.

I stood tall and waited as the pad below me started traveling upward, into a dark tunnel which would lead me above the ground. I steeled my face and touched the necklace so that I would look good on camera, because even if I didn't feel brave, I had to act it.

Nothing could have prepared me for the barren dessert that lay before me.


	45. Chapter 45

When Factions Collide

Chapter 45: Wren

We were in a desert. There was sand all around us and I felt the sun beating down. God, I hoped I didn't burn. There better be some sort of salve in that Cornucopia. The voice that was on the intercom announced there were sixty seconds until the Games started. I couldn't move off of the panel until they had counted down. The only thing I could do was find Theo, Cali and Aeryn, who were all on the other side. I could just barely make out the side of his face behind the long horn.

"Ten..." the voice continued chanting down. I couldn't focus, there was a ringing in my ears. How was I supposed to find water? How was I supposed to survive in such a bare landscape? This is something Dauntless couldn't prepare me for.

"Three...two...one...Let the Games Begin." The voice shouted and there was sort of a gong that played. By then, we were released from the circle's hold and we all took off running. There were a few people running away, but the main bloodshed happened at the horn. I dove out of the way as someone came by and landed on a pile of weapons. I took a bow and arrow, and three sets of knives. Oh sweet joy, they had knives. And there was something else. Something that they never had in the Games. It was a gun. A handgun, but still a gun. I wondered how many people here knew how to work one. I reached to pick it up but a hand got there before I did. I recoiled and took out a knife, but when I looked up I saw Theo's face. He winked, took the gun, and shot someone. The first kill, the cannon went off.

He grabbed me and pulled me up, and I grabbed a bottle of water to take along with me. There were only five left out of a possible eight. We ran away, hearing two more cannons. I hoped to God that it wasn't Cali or Aeryn.

"Come on, we have to find more water."

"There's nothing here!" I shouted at him as we ran. We had to be about five hundred yards from the Cornucopia when we heard someone following us. I picked up one of my knives and listened to see who is was.

"Yeah, that's going to help you when I have a bow and arrow."

"So do I, I grabbed it for you."

"Stick to your knives, sweetie." it was Cali and Aeryn, both running and out of breath. "We had to get out of there once I saw you guys running. Couldn't have waited up?" she laughed breathlessly. "We were lucky to get out of there, I escaped with this." she showed us her calf, which was still bleeding. Someone had knifed her.

"I didn't see who, but I'm gonna kill 'em."

"Yeah, I bet," I chuckled. "Did you get any kills in?"

"There have only been five so far. I got one, Aeryn didn't get anyone." we started walking. "They'll be there for a while. Bloodshed lasts for a few hours until one team defeats the other or gives up." she sounded experienced. Of course, she had been watching longer than I had. Looks like I wasn't the only one who hadn't killed. I was a bit relieved at that. Even my own boyfriend had killed someone.

"Did you grab water?"

"I got a bottle. What about you?"

"One bottle."

"We need to find more." she looked around. There weren't going to be any rivers around, I presumed.

"Look," Theo pointed over to a cave. It seemed like a far enough place to stay and tally up the score for now. "No one should be coming this way for a while. And there are cacti. Maybe they have water."

I took one of my bigger knives, a machete, which I had never used, and took it to the desert plant. I hacked off one of the arms, hoping to find some sort of cactus juice, but I didn't find anything. It was empty.

"Try the other side," Aeryn suggested. So I did. There was a total of three drops. "Must be dead." she shrugged.

"We still have the bottles. Each of us gets half of one." They were half a gallon each. "That should do for about two days."

"At max. We still need to find something. But we should stay here until the sun goes down."

"That's going to be about five hours." it was getting close to the heat of the day. In the distance we heard a scream, and then it gurgled off. I shot up, knives at the ready. The cannon went off.

"I should check it out. I'm armed." Aeryn said.

"No!" Cali whispered tersely. "Get back in the cave." she said and we all obeyed.

This was it. This was where I had to be Dauntless, to show off for the Capitol. I wondered what would happen if I became dehydrated. Would Four be able to rescue me from that? There were no footsteps approaching the cave, so it must have either been a long distance or a stray kill. Or natural. Well, as natural as being killed by a genetically engineered animal made by the Capitol.

We sat in the dry cave waiting for nightfall so we could search for water. We figured no one else would be traveling across the desert at that time. What we didn't realise was how cold it got. That's what the grey suits were for. They reflected sunlight, but they also retained it enough to keep warm when it got cold. We would be able to last about three hours before we needed to start fire. But with what?

Soon, I became thirsty enough that Theo let me take a drink. I was only allowed two seconds of a swig to conserve water. It felt good, letting the liquid moisten my tongue and slide down my throat, and immediately my senses picked up. I didn't realise that I could get dehydrated so quickly, but I suppose running in a desert tended to do that.

Theo had his gun out. The only reason I guessed the Capitol would put one in is because it only had twelve rounds in it. There were no other bullets. Not unless someone had the good will to send them in via parachute, but there wasn't a good chance of that happening. So we had eleven shots. I hoped his aim was on point.

"Guys, come on," we found a patch of smaller cacti around and went to break them open. In all of them combined, we only had enough to fill up the water bottle I had taken a drink from halfway from where it was, and that was near the spout. The cacti had to live off of water, but from where? Unless they were genetically engineered to not need water. But they had to have roots, which meant there would be rain, which was unlikely, or there was water somewhere near here.

"First watch, who wants it?" Cali said. I guess we were going to camp here for the night.

"I'll take it." I volunteered. "You guys get some sleep, we'll switch every two hours."

"Sounds fair to me." Aeryn said. Theo laid by me, his head on the sand facing me, and I stood with my knives ready to guard from whatever there was out there.

Two hours was a long time, and nothing significant had happened. I had to constantly stay awake, and even though it was only about midnight, given the moon and such. Now was the time that they would announce the fallen tributes. It was every night at midnight, I remembered from what Jada said. There was a projection that lit up in the sky and the tributes' names were displayed starting with the Big Apple. I was sorry to see that Violet was gone, and so were the two girls from Los Angeles, a boy from Denver, and a boy from the Capitol. Caroline and Adam were still around and the two boys from Annapolis were still alive. After all the tributes were quickly mourned, the projection shut off, leaving the dark sky to the faux stars and moon.

"Theo, you want to take over?" I shook him awake.

"Huh? Yeah, yeah sure." he got up and rubbed sleep out of his eyes, taking my knives away so he could use them.

I had hoped to get some sleep, and I did for about an hour. I didn't think it would be that easy, but I had expected a bit more on the first night. Of course, such luxury is never available in the Games, as I found out that night in the storm.


	46. Chapter 46

When Factions Collide

Chapter 46: Tobias

That day would be the beginning of the Hunger Games. This meant that I needed to gather enough support between the next couple days so they would survive. But what could I possibly give them? My answer was a shovel, after seeing the Arena and the count down.

They were in a stranded desert, or, well, one manufactured by the Capitol, which was stranded enough. Once I saw that none of the plants held but a few drops of water, I started to think about where it could be or what they could do. They had two water bottles, which would not last them. They also would need food, but there would be enough creatures and they could t least survive off of the meat of the cacti. But water, there were no rivers, but there still seemed to be living plants that were able to suck up a bit of water, so there had to be some flow to the roots. I didn't suspect any rain would be coming, so as I paced the room, entering the minds of the Gamemakers, I thought about where the water would be.

"Underground. There's a flow underground." Of course, they hadn't figured that out yet and they wouldn't until I sent them something to get the water with: A shovel.

I ran to Candor at around five, and it was still light here, although it was dark in the Arena. I hated the Capitol, ruining their perception of everything, of time, of geography, of survival, but to them, of course, it was just a _game_.

Christina was in the lobby of the Merciless Mart, waiting for me, tapping her foot and looking at the screens where they were going over what currently happened, placing bets on the tributes of course. I walked over to her and said hello, and we walked to the middle of the mart, where the interrogations took place. We would be able to find the leader here.

I had only been in this room once before, when I was interrogated, where I found out Tris had shot Will, when I had come clean with my Divergence. I could envision clearly how Tris looked under the truth serum, the look in her face as she told everyone of Will's demise. I shuddered to think about it. Christina saw that as well.

"Niles," the leader that was here when we were fugitives was still here, being the only suitable leader left for Candor. He was sitting at the podium, going over papers. "Bring in the faction. In entirety. We have something to discuss."

"Christina, what's going on?" he didn't look to taken aback by the order, but then, Candor always spoke their minds, vomiting up all of their thoughts in one go until there was nothing left.

"The Games. Tobias and I have an idea." she clarified slightly.

"Tobias," he looked at me. "How are you?"

"No," she cut off. "No pleasantries. Bring them in, now. It's something we all need to discuss."

He had a half confused half pained look cross his face, but acquiesced to her orders. "Very well. If you'll wait a moment." and soon enough, we heard his voice booming around the room, around the compound, for a meeting to take place in the interrogation room in three minutes. Now it was showtime.

"I have no idea what to say." I told her.

"It's okay, I'll speak. You just have to stand there, back me up, and look pretty."

"Well, um,"

"It's a joke. Just do what I tell you, and tell them what's going on. I can spot you the facts." she told me.

We stood in the middle of the room, where I was once before, but instead of being under the truth serum, we were just trying to convince the entire faction to support my best friend and his girlfriend in the Games so they would live. What could possibly go wrong?

The faction files in, all of the people taking seats, families sticking together. In this hall, I saw how big the faction really was. I guess the only way someone would fail initiation is if they decided not to tell the truth. Christina fit in with these people perfectly, not in the annoying sense, although she could be quite annoying at times, but in the sense that she was always honest when she had to be. She knew that it was a good virtue to have.

"Gather in, everyone." she shouted to her fellow members. "Quiet down," she was trying to calm everyone down. It wasn't often that there was a faction meeting like this. "I've gathered you all here today to talk about the Games." there were a few murmurs going around. "We're still young, as a city, this is our fourth year. And this year, we have four Dauntless tributes. Now, we know that three of them are supported by other factions. But there is one of them that is not supported by any. She needs to get out alive, and we need your help." she looked at me to take it over.

"The four tributes. One is from Amity. We know he'll be supported. One is from Erudite. She'll be supported too. One of them is a Dauntless leader. The Dauntless will obviously be supporting him. But the last one, she's an Abnegation transfer. And she's important. She's a leader in training, and we need to get her out. She has no one to back her up and she's my friend. We need to help her get out alive. We need your help. All of you." I hoped they could tell that I was telling the truth, that I wasn't lying when I said that she was important. The only thing was I wasn't sure how much Abnegation would be willing to support.

"If you can help, please sign this." she held up a piece of paper and started it around the room. "I'll be contacting you. The Games are an important matter, and what better than to have one of our own tributes come back a victor. Chicago needs to look good, and if we get at least two of them back, we'll no longer be looked upon as a child. Please, please help." she ended her speech convincingly.

I saw a few people sign their names, and a few more after that. By the time we got the paper back, it had about fifty names on it. There were about two thousand people in the faction, but fifty families had signed up, meaning about one hundred and fifty people. That would help a lot, if all of them contributed some small amount. It was closer to getting them tools and weapons and medicine. Now it was time to try the Abnegation for some funds. Hopefully her mother would help. Hopefully so would Caleb.

Christina and I walked out of the compound and across the city to see the familiar grey buildings. The Abnegation compound. I hadn't been here for four years. I set my face in a hard grimace as I walked closer to the buildings, trying to look distasteful, when really I felt a longing ache in my chest. This is where she lived. All those years ago. Where I saw her walk, where I saw her grow up, where I left my father, where I betrayed my family and my faction by choosing Dauntless. If it had not been for her, I would have stayed a coward. I owed it to her to come back here, get Wren out. I owed it to both of them.

"Hey, Tobias, you ready?" she turned towards me to look at the faction, sensing my reluctance to enter again.

"Yeah, let's go." I took a deep breath and went in with her. At the first glace, nothing had changed. People were walking around, just milling about on their day to day lives. But the further we ventured, the more looks I got. No one truly forgot that I was Marcus' son, and Evelyn's son as well. She had changed, yes. We were on fair terms, yes. But becoming the leader of Abnegation had posed some serious differences between us, and so I went back to Dauntless and she stayed here, and so we lost touch for two years.

I knew where she would be, and I instinctively went towards my old house. Christina followed me, although I knew she knew where it was as well. Looking at it reminded me of my childhood, when I would sit in my room and look out the window, watching all of the people go back and forth, helping each other, never focusing on themselves for one minute. I wanted that to be me. I so wanted to be like that. But I wanted out, as well. I wondered if that was what she thought. What both of them thought.

I rapped on the door and heard a voice from the other side. There were footsteps, and a latch opening. I saw Evelyn's face, a smile lighting it up and falling as I did not reciprocate it. I peered around the corner and saw Caleb in the other room, Susan by his side.

"Tobias, won't you come in?" she invited me and Christina to sit down in the other room.

"Thank you," Christina said for me. She would definitely be handling the conversation here. My eyes were trained on Caleb, and his focused on me. "Four, sit down." she whispered at me. I sat in a chair across from the couch that they were sitting on, and Christina perched herself on the arm protectively next to me. She knew what this place did to me.

"Tobias," Caleb extended his hand, changing to the Dauntless form of greeting for a minute. I shook it and sat back down. "How are you?" standard Abnegation.

"I'm well." Evelyn sat down in the other chair, turning towards us.

"What brings you here?" she asked me.

Christina answered. "Do you remember Wren?" she asked her.

"Yes, she was a faction transfer to Dauntless. It was a loss." her eyes were lowered.

"She is a tribute for the Games. And they are going on right now. And she doesn't have a strong enough hold in Dauntless to gain sponsors."

"So you were hoping she would be sponsored by us." It wasn't a question, she was smart enough to have figured it out already.

"Well, you, and Candor is helping as well."

"Christina, I don't know if we-"

"I know. But together, we might be able to get them at least a shovel for water, or some sort of weapon. We suspect that Dauntless will be helping Theo, and so if they stay together, they will have sponsors here, not to mention those in the Capitol."

"Perhaps we can figure something out." Evelyn nodded. She turned to me. "Tobias, it has been a while, hasn't it? How are you? How is everything at Dauntless?"

"It's all going fine."

"How's Peter?" Caleb jumped in.

"He's...well, we're not sure. His sister thinks that he's scheming against the Divergent. Like last time. I've found no against it. Which is another reason we need your help to get them out. We need more proof."

"We'll try to help as much as we can." she nodded and Caleb agreed. "Why don't you stay with us for a little bit longer? I can make you something to eat or get you a drink-"

"No, I'm afraid we'll have to be going now."

"Well, I can at least walk you out." Caleb stood up. Evelyn nodded and came over to hug me. I leaned into her embrace.

"It was nice seeing you, Tobias." she whispered.

"Goodbye." I waved as Christina and I walked to the door. Good, Abnegation was on with Candor. That meant that hopefully by tomorrow evening, we would be able to send money to the Capitol and get them water.

"Tobias, I don't know why you're doing this, but I can suspect there's only one good reason." Caleb looked at me. Still an Erudite.

"It's what she would have wanted me to do. God knows she would have been in there if Wren wasn't."

"I know. I'll help you. Come by and visit, okay?" he shook my hand and let us out.

"Okay." I nodded. It was almost so cruel of any God to make me suffer in my loss more than I had to, but there was a higher purpose to this, so I would throw it all away to protect the people I loved.


	47. Chapter 47

**_AN: Sorry for not updating in a while! Wow, vacation was long! But I'm back to writing, and I know where the sequel is going, I've already started outlining it as I continue to write this. Though this story isn't as popular as my Johnlock one (Which I encourage you to read if you haven't already done so), the amount of people reading and even following it are amazing, and I appreciate the time you've taken to support me and my writing! So thank you so much, and here are a few more chapters!_**

* * *

When Factions Collide

Chapter 47: Wren

No chance for sleep when there's running to do. And God, was there. I had hoped that maybe a storm with water was upon us when I heard the noise, but when does something good actually happen in the Games?

"What was that?" I asked, waking up.

"Probably thunder. We'll wanna stay here if there's a storm." he replied, stroking my hair to calm me down.

"Do you really think that they would be that kind to us?" I asked suspiciously, referring to the Gamemakers.

"I don't know, Xavier might. He was one of us after all."

"Aeryn, Cali, wake up." I shouted over, hearing more of the noise hurling right at us.

Along the horizon, there were clouds. But those clouds were not of rain or any water. No, those clouds were sand. And if we didn't move out, we were going to be caught in the middle of a sandstorm and choke to death.

"Run." I whispered, and took Theo's hand.

We all started sprinting, I had a bottle of water and my knives in one hand, and my other was pulling Theo along. Aeryn and Cali were about two yards behind us but making good time, about nine yards ahead of the first wisp of sand. We veered left into another cave, not unlike the one from earlier, but also very different because it had a small pool of water in it. Enough that we were going to be able to fill up the bottles and take a drink. I felt like I could stay here and just hide, but that would be the coward's way out.

The storm passed us by, only a little bit of dust and sand getting into the cave, and we sat and drank. It was about two now.

"So, that was the first scare tactic. How many people got caught up in that thing?" Cali started conversation since it was likely no one would fall asleep for a while.

"I haven't heard any cannons yet, so that's a good thing. Well, a bad thing, I guess." Theo said. He scooted over by me in a protective sort of way, and I clasped his hand in mine, trying to slow my heart rate.

"Do you think it's okay if you take another watch, Theo, or shall I start mine?"

"I think I can last another hour. But after that, I'm going to wake you up, okay?"

"I think I'll take that shift now then, I'm fairly awake anyway." Cali suggested. I curled up near one of the walls and Theo lay by me. He turned and faced me no our noses touched and we were breathing the same air. I wanted less space in between us.

"Do you think they're watching us?" I whispered.

"Who?"

"The Capitol people? Four? The factions and cities?"

"Maybe. I don't think they would get any fantastic footage of us at night though, unless they wanted a lover's sequence." he chuckled. I could feel his arms come around me. "I'll keep you safe. I trust them." he said about our current protectors. There was no reason to, there were four victors and we were going to be those four.

"Wonder what the rest of the faction is thinking?" I knew what Four would be doing. The rest, not so sure.

"I think they're probably trying to find a way to help, and get us out."

I nodded and fell asleep quickly, feeling his breath against me.

It seemed like two minutes of sleep, but I knew it had been about four hours. It was about six in the morning judging by the sun outside the cave. Theo's hands were still around me, so I didn't bother getting up until Cali said something.

"Up up! Gonna have to go and find food today. We also can't stay here. Have to find shelter." she hung the bow and arrows on her shoulder.

"God I hope we find some other place with water. How far away is the Cornucopia?" I asked, knowing that the winners of the previous bloodbath would be settled there.

"Probably about three hundred yards from here. We should hunt."

"Where? It's a desert. There's not gonna be little forest creatures."

"No, but the Capitol wouldn't just make us fend for ourselves by cannibalism. They tried that one year," she said hesitantly, scratching her head. "Didn't go over too well with the Capitol."

"Glad we're here to appease them." I groaned. "Theo," I kicked him lightly, laughing when he caught my foot. "Get up."

Once we were packed with what little we had, we went hunting. We decided that the outskirts wouldn't really be good, so we traveled to the middle of the desert, where it was going to be hotter. I had contemplated taking the suit off or cutting it, had I not needed it for nighttime. It was weird, how it seemed that we were the only four tributes out here, when really, there had to be eighteen of us left. Six of us were gone, and I hadn't heard any cannon shots during the sandstorm.

There were a few jabber-jays, the birds that the Capitol engineered, circling overhead, like vultures. They were just waiting for someone to die. There were also Capitol scorpions around, the equivalent to tracker-jackers in this barren world. We hadn't had a close encounter yet, but that meant nothing. It was only the second day.

"Look over there." Cali said to me after about fifty minutes of walking. There were no signs of life besides a few wayward cacti.

"What is it?"

"It's an armadillo. They have meat on them."

"Can't we just stick to cactus meat?"

"Nope. Protein." Theo said. Cali gripped the bow, pulled the arrow back, and shot the animal. It pierced the skin when we ran to it, about fifteen yards away. However, not all of us were able to get to it.

"OH MY GOD!" I screamed as I went upside down. I was trapped in a knot on my ankle. "Where the _hell_ did that come from?"

"Well, it came from a cactus that you passed." Cali turned back and saw the twenty foot cactus there.

"How did I miss that?"

"Sand, and you weren't paying attention."

"Get me out!"

"Alright, just hold on," she went to cut me out, but a spear hit her by the wrist. She pulled back immediately.

"Who the _fuck_-"

"Adam, we got them." Caroline's voice shouted.

"Are you kidding me. Are you actually kidding me right now." I fell for a trap set up by her and her ex boyfriend? Why were they even working together? The Games did strange things to people.

"Wren, calm down. We'll get out of this."

"I wouldn't, if I were you. I would back away right now and let me take her." she took one of my knives from my belt.

"Oh yeah, like you know how to work a knife, Erudite." I spat at her face.

"Don't talk like that, Stiff." she sliced one of my cheeks lightly. "Don't move. Your death will hurt less if you don't struggle."

"I highly doubt that." I was relying on my speed and strength as I pulled myself up and grabbed a knife, throwing one to Theo. He came and cut me in one swoop and I landed on the ground with a thud. I grabbed another knife and turned around, her against the cactus and me in her spot.

"What do you think you're-" and I threw the knife, pinning her suit against the cactus with force.

"You don't just walk into my life and try to kill me." I growled. I wasn't talking about the Games, I was getting my vendetta from when she first insulted me at the Dauntless compound. I spun around and aimed one at Adam. "I suggest you stand there and watch what happens when you choose the wrong side." and I unpinned the knife from Caroline. I didn't want an easy target. I wanted to make a show for the Capitol. So I stunned her with a right hook. And then I threw the knife. It landed in her stomach and she fell. I aimed another at her head and it stuck. "Still not dead yet?" I took one final knife and slashed her throat, her blood on my hands. I wiped it on the suit as the cannon went off. She was dead, by my hands, as promised.

"Wren. Did you just kill her?" it was Theo who asked, looking at me like I was crazy.

"That's the point of the Games."

"I didn't actually think-"

"You thought wrong." and I walked away, tossing the knife I used to slash her throat aside as we went to get our meat, leaving Adam to mourn the loss of his senseless Erudite girlfriend.


	48. Chapter 48

When Factions Collide

Chapter 48: Tobias

The next day was almost as painful. We had to contact and negotiate both factions. But by the time we were done, we were able to get enough in Capitol currency for a shovel and burn medication. The Dauntless had Theo taken care of with other sorts of medications and salves, so we didn't have to worry about him. Christina was the one who made the call to the Capitol, and they accepted our offer with a cheerful tone. They would be receiving our donation today at six. That would be about seven hours.

"How do you think Wren is doing?" Bri asked. She was with Nathan and Isaac and me in the Pit. Mels and Payton had gone off with Em and Erin somewhere. Isaac was upset, seeing as Mels broke it off with him. He didn't seem to be taking the whole Peter thing too seriously, and so they decided it was for the best that they stay apart so he didn't get in trouble. But he was still sad about it, which was understandable.

"I think she'll be doing pretty well, you want to check?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure. Might get Isaac out of his funk." Nate spoke up.

We turned on the television in the Pit and projected it. There were only about twenty people there considering it was only about eleven in the morning, and we were four of them. I was upset, without Wren or Theo here, the group seemed to be dispersing. I had invited Christina to come back with us, but she went to see her family instead.

On the screen, they were doing a live feed of all the tributes. There were only eighteen left, and eight of them were at the Cornucopia, living on their finds there. Three were in a group milling about on the edges of the Arena, Caroline and Adam walking around trying to find water, and the group of four that allied together making their way to the middle. Then it cut to a scene with Caroline and Wren, with Wren throwing knives at her. She was dead. Seventeen tributes. I didn't know what to feel. Of course I was happy that she killed Caroline, but I knew what it would do to someone. The guilt would eat her alive. It's what happened to Tris when she killed Will. I saw the look on Theo's face after it happened. Their relationship was going to die. I was sure of it. And I felt bad.

After that clip, I sat looking intently at the screen. It had followed them for a few minutes before cutting back to Adam. He was sitting there as Caroline's corpse was being lifted. She would be cleaned, and taken back to us for burial. We would give her to the Erudite and they would do as seen fit. I wanted to see what would happen to the four of them, not Caroline.

Sure enough, my prayers were answered when the camera went back to them. Apparently they were the darlings of the Capitol, because they were getting the most screen time. They were making a fire to cook what they found-an armadillo- and sat there. All of them were trying not to relive the past moments, well, moments for all the television viewers. This probably happened an hour ago. Theo sat next to her, not repulsed at all. I was surprised. When I had found out what Tris had done, I was almost disgusted. But Theo was not me, and Wren was not Tris. They were different.

I turned away from the television to go back to playing cards with Isaac, Bri, and Nate when Peter came up to me. I turned around to say hello, we were still cordial of course, but he slammed his palms on the table and stared daggers at Bri. She wasn't afraid. She stared back, challenging him.

"Can I help you?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I would like to know what a message from me to Xavier is doing by saying that 'the plan is off'."

"Well, I suppose you wrote it. It's in your inbox." she smiled.

"What _plan_?"

"Oh, don't you know, the one where you _TAKE MY BEST FRIEND AND LEAD HER TO HER DEATH._" she screamed across the Pit. I hadn't known she could get that angry.

"I was not planning on doing anything. What happened at the reaping was very unfortunate. I had nothing to do with it. And that gave you no _right_," he hissed the word, "to go searching for anything."

"Well, I suppose I could have been a bit more stealthy about it." she shrugged.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" he prodded her, hoping to see her break. He seemed truthful.

"I want to know why you were from Candor and I was from Erudite." she straightened. What?

"What do you mean?" he backed away, suddenly on the defensive.

"I went through your records. You, mom, dad, they were all from Candor. I was Erudite. Why?"

He took a deep breath, reluctant to explain. "They spent their lives in Candor. I spent my life in Candor. You were eleven when the whole system started falling apart. I took you to Erudite so I could spy, and you grew up there. You..." he seemed unable to go on.

"No, Peter, continue." She crossed her arms and stared him down.

"The memory serum." The vial I had. "I didn't take all of it. You drank some of it." he turned to me. "Apparently how much you drink_ does_ affect how much you lose. Because I only drank half instead of all. And I gave half of it to you." he turned back to his sister. "And you were in Erudite because of me. And then after the War, I took you back to Dauntless." Well, this was a plot twist.

"What?"

"I made sure you couldn't remember the War. Okay? That plan didn't work out like I thought." Peter ran a hand through his hair. "Why did you go through my records?"

"Because I wanted to see what you were plotting."

"And?" he obviously had nothing to hide.

"Still looking."

"Well now you won't." he scoffed at her.

She grinned. "Oh dear brother, I was an Erudite for all my knowledge. You underestimate me."

He turned and left as quickly as he came. We all looked at her, waiting for something. There was nothing. She was stone. She was betrayed, induced with memory serum by her own brother, and she was stone. I was almost going to applaud her before I realised that would not be a good example of me to set.

"Bri, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm...I'm good." she took a deep breath as Nate grasped her hand. It was in that moment I wished Tris were back, so I could do that. I could pick any girl here and do it, sure, but the one I loved, the one that would never betray me was gone.

Isaac was looking at Bri as well, but with a glum look in his eyes. He put his head down on the table and groaned. I felt right with him at that moment.

"I want cake." Bri said out of the blue. There was Dauntless cake all around, we always had a ready stock, and right now, cake sounded good.

"I would give anything to send them some Dauntless cake right now." I chuckled.

"Can we?"

"I don't think it works like that." Isaac popped up from the table. We all got up and returned with a mountain of cake. I always joked around with Tris, saying I would abandon her for a piece of cake. It was not true at all, but the Dauntless did have pretty good cake. It cheered everyone up, that was for sure, because we all started playing cards again until the four girls walked in for an update.

"It's not even lunch yet, and here you are stuffing yourselves with cake." Mels sat down, not looking at Isaac.

"It's good cake." Bri said with her mouth full.

"How is she?" Mels asked me.

"Just killed Caroline."

"NO WAY! GET OUT!" she stood again and cheered. "That's impressive."

"Knifed her." I nodded.

"Good update."

"We're sending out a shovel and medication tonight at six to them."

"Do they need the meds?"

"Nope. But it's good to have them on hand."

"What do they have, like a Hunger Games catalog or something?" Em chipped in some humor.

"I wish. It's the Capitol, they have everything." Payton said.

"Yeah, let's hope for that." I said. Hopefully they did have everything. Everything we could use to get them out.


	49. Chapter 49

When Factions Collide

Chapter 49: Wren

Given the sun's height, it must have been about three in the Arena. That gave no measure of time in the outside world, but the outside world was but a mere memory at this point. Time here was always different, because it was manufactured, just like everything else in the Arena. The only thing was that the sun, although a good indicator, gave off awfully powerful rays that burned my face, making me sacrifice some of our scarce water supply so I could fight off the burn. There were no plants for medication, at least, not to our mediocre plant knowledge.

I was surprised that the only tributes we came to were Adam and Caroline, but I did not realise how much was really out to kill. We came across several snakes, a couple jabber-jays, and a few other meat eaters. We were able to kill them all or run away, luckily, but the constant threat was still lurking. Hopefully no one else died, and no one else would have to kill anyone.

"Wren? You want to stop for a bit?" Theo asked me, seeing my red face. That was the only thing that burned, because the suit protected the rest of my body.

"Yeah, yeah, that would be nice." I said.

"Well, hopefully we find some water." Cali crossed her arms. She didn't look too burned up or even that tired.

"How can you stand it?"

"It's not too bad. I mean, okay, it's bad. But I guess my skin tone helps." It was true, she was already quite tan. I always got burned, even back in Abnegation when I had to help out in the summer with errands and such. Fun in the sun was not the best slogan for me.

We sat in the sand, looking around the landscape. Still no sign of water. I didn't think there would be. I tried sticking my hand in the sand to find some cool relief, but nothing came. It was all heated by the sun.

"Maybe you just need to dig a little." Theo saw what I was trying to do. So I dug a few more inches. And I found a little relief. So I kept digging a few more inches, and the sand was much cooler. It was almost wet, almost as if there were water near by.

"Wait, guys, the sand." I waved them over. "There has to be water around somewhere. The sand is wet after a few inches, feel." and they all stuck their hands in the hole I had dug.

"Then where? It has to be close, but far enough we can't see it." Cali said with a smile.

"Let's just keep walking and every few yards we'll dig and see how wet it is. There's got to be a river or a pool somewhere." Aeryn looked around.

We walked away from the sun and every three yards we dug six inches in. The sand was still cool everywhere we went. After about fifteen holes, we decided to rest again, and recoup. So if there was no river, then could the Capitol just be cruel enough to give us ninety percent of what we were looking for without going all the way?

"No, they have to give us some form of water. It's in the rules, what little they have." Cali answered my question.

"But we've searched for the past two days, and there's nothing. And we only have a bottle left." I complained.

"We're not thinking hard enough. Wren, you're Erudite. Logic it out."

"You're Erudite too."

"Okay, so, there was a pool of water in the cave. But that was it. The cacti also don't have water, which is weird for cacti because that's how they live."

"But they do have water, just not enough to sustain us. But if the sand is cool after a few inches, and about six inches down it;'s muddy, then there has to be water flowing through it. How much though?"

"Obviously enough to sustain the plants. And all the animals we've seen can _dig_."

"So the water is under the sand! We have to dig! How far down though?" I stood up, excited.

"Well, since it was muddy after a few inches, the flow has to be some sort of underground river, so probably a few feet to reach the base of it."

"I don't think we have the tools to do that."

"Oh, but don't we?" Theo pointed up at a parachute that was coming straight toward me. It was a shovel.

"Who could have..." I looked at the note. All it had was the number four on it. Four. He figured it out before we did. He was just waiting for the right time to send it.

"Thank you, Dauntless!" I screamed to the air above me. There was another package containing burn medication, something I so desperately needed.

"Let's dig." Theo took up the shovel and started to dig the sand out of the way as Cali, Aeryn and I sat.

It was about five feet and an hour later that we got to the base of the river. We were able to take turns and make a small pool big enough for a person, and a smaller hole for water about two feet away. This meant that we had cool water, and a ready supply with the shovel. Thank Four for small favours. The question still stuck though: Why did Four want us out so badly?

"Do you want to clean up a little?" Aeryn asked me, stripping herself of the suit as well.

"I will, you go first though." she got into the pool of water and the look of relief on her face was clear. We all stood around on guard so no one would come and attack. Each of us rotated after about five minutes.

When I got in, I crouched down and sat under water, feeling the cool water over my face, which I had put burn medication on as well. I smiled as I held my breath. I wondered if any of the other tributes figured it out yet. As I came up, I saw the girls smiling at me, my hair wet and slicked back.

"She's got the idea." Cali nudged Aeryn.

"Definitely. Wish I had thought of that."

"I'll go next." Cali pulled me up and waited as I put the suit back on. Theo couldn't help but chuckle a little bit, I was ecstatic at the water.

"Your face looks better." he half smiled.

"Yeah, I can feel it getting better."

"Oh we're safe, just make out. God knows you haven't done it for a few days. I can hear the want dripping in your voices." Cali said from the water, dunking her head under. Aeryn laughed and turned away. Theo leaned over the hole, only about two feet wide, and I met him in the middle and kissed him. It was a small gesture, lasting about a second before we were on guard again, but it meant a lot. He winked at me before turning around.

"Whoa, wait, tribute coming at around one o'clock." Aeryn took up a bow and arrow as Cali got out and dressed. Theo was the only one left to bathe, and he had to fight someone before doing that.

"Wait, I come in peace!" Adam was running towards us.

"Oh no. Not you. God not you. Just turn around and go the way you came."

"No, please, I'm the only one out there, and the Capitol kids are all gone with the Big Apple kids and I'm alone and..." he trailed off. "Let me stay. I'll be a human sacrifice if necessary. I just don't want to be alone." he croaked. "I don't even have any water." he saw the pool of water we were all guarding.

"Let him have some water. Not like we're running out." Cali was making sure the arrow was sharp.

"Thank you." he walked over to the smaller pool and scooped a drink in his hands. Theo stripped down and went in the pool after concluding Adam was not a threat. I couldn't help but sneak a look at his back, and I saw a tattoo peaking on his left shoulder blade.

"Wait, what is that?" I asked him, Aeryn with Cali now that we had an extra person to guard.

"What is what?" he turned to me. I put my hand on the bird. "Oh, I was going to tell you about it sometime, didn't think you would see it. I got it before we left. It's um...it's a Wren. Like the bird. Like you. I got it for you." he smiled and touched the necklace. "You kept it on?"

"It's my token." I smiled. "I kept it on so I wouldn't lose you."

"That's not happening any time soon. I can promise that." He pulled me to him and kissed me quickly before dunking his head under and getting cool again.

Once he got out and back into his suit, we planned on hunting again for the now five of us. One of us was still going to die, and it would be Adam, but no one was set on killing him yet, so we decided to leave that to nature. We found a rattlesnake, a Capitol engineered coyote, and cut off some cactus meat. It was actually a pretty hearty dinner, for the Games at least.

"How have you been surviving?" Adam was asking us that night as the sun set. We had the fire to get us warmer, now that it was going to get cold.

"We've just been cave hopping. Then we got this," I pointed to the shovel that Theo had in between his legs, "And we found water."

"Where are you going to go next?"

"Well, considering we're trapped, we might as well stir up some trouble with the other tributes, or else they're going to stir even more up to get us together. How many are at the cornucopia?"

"There were eight as of today, and I haven't heard any cannons go off."

"Maybe tomorrow we'll make their numbers dwindle. What about strays?"

"There were three around the edges looking for water, and I didn't hear any cannons there either."

"No, neither did I." Cali shook her head. "So, stir up trouble, or hunt down the spares?"

"I would go with hunting the spares." Adam said.

"Coward." I turned to him. "Let's go start some trouble. Might get some supplies too."

"I agree," Theo said. "We can just scatter them, maybe not a murder spree." he nodded at me.

"Well, Aeryn's gotta kill someone, she's the only one who hasn't."

"I would like to keep it that way." She looked at me jokingly.

"Of course, of course. But when the time comes," I looked at her to finish the sentence.

"When the time comes, I'll totally stun them with my knife throwing." she laughed.

"Stick to bows and arrows, Aer."

We put the fire out after we ate and took the shovel as we went to search for another cave near to the Cornucopia for the night. It was decided that we would attack before the sun rose, so we needed to get to sleep early. It was probably only about eight, with the sun on its last legs beyond the Arena's horizon.

"Look, there's one over there." it was about thirty five yards from where we were, but sure enough, it looked empty when we reached it.

"Who's gonna take the first guard?" I asked.

"I will." Adam said. "It's the least I can do for you letting me stay."

"I'll take second watch." Theo said.

"Third." Cali said. Aeryn was taking the fourth, so I got the privilege of the last watch and waking everyone up for the killing.

Theo and I curled up like we did the night before and fell straight asleep, no 'I love you's or romance at all. Just pure rest, which was bliss in itself. That was, until I heard Theo and Adam whispering at the end of his shift. I heard my name come up in conversation, though I couldn't hear what they were saying. There was a harsh whisper, a growl, and footsteps walking over. They were not Theo's. I became alarmed and my heart started racing. I had nothing to be afraid of, it was just Adam when I opened my eyes a crack. I hoped they didn't know I had woken up.

"Only for two hours. After that, find your own spot." I heard Theo hiss at him. Oh. He was allowing Adam the simple pleasure of sleeping next to me. He had to have given Theo a really good reason to let him do that. I rolled over so my back was facing him, still pretending I was asleep. I was not comfortable with this. Somehow I fell back asleep until my shift.

When I woke up, Aeryn's small hands fluttering over my spine in an attempt to be quiet, I took my knives and went to the opening of the cave. I saw Adam at one end of the ave and Theo was next to me. I didn't hear the switch. It was four in the morning, the sky was dark and the sand was a bluish colour, reflecting the sky. In two hours, we were going to attack the Cornucopia. Hopefully, with our attack, this meant that we were one step closer to getting out of this hell hole and back to Dauntless.

I sat thinking of the events that transpired, what little guilt I felt at killing someone. I remember Theo's face. He looked almost scared of me. But he killed someone too, I was just doing it for our own good. I would try not to kill anyone today, but I knew that he would. I also thought about how it was at home. I wondered how everyone was, how Four was doing. He seemed distraught when we left. I didn't realise how much we mattered to him, but I couldn't help but feel that it was only because we reminded him of his own past and he was vicariously living through us. Maybe someday he would find someone who would help him love again. I knew that it wasn't fair of me to think that, with her dead and all, but he was only twenty two. He would find someone and be happy again.

Two hours passed quickly when I was trapped in my own thoughts. That and it was boring. No one was going to attack, not while they had all they wanted at the Cornucopia. I predicted a civil war, but that would only be if their supplies ran out.

"Hey, get up." I whispered harshly to everyone. Theo and Cali responded, Aeryn and Adam were still asleep. "Get them up." I told them. The sun was slowly creeping up against the horizon. "Which way is the Cornucopia?" I asked Adam. He knew his way a bit better than us. We had been going away from it, while he and Caroline had been inching closer, he told us yesterday.

"It's this way, come on." he led us through the lightening sand until we reached the edge where all the disks were. This meant we were about twenty yards from the horn. All the tributes were sleeping, with one propped against the base of the horn, his eyes slowly drooping.

"Watch this. This'll wake him up. You guys ready?"

"Day three of the Hunger Games, starting out with a bang." I smiled. I had my knives ready and Theo had his gun.

"Let her fly!" and the arrow ripped from the bow and landed right above the guarding tribute's head. He held up a machete, waiting for the attackers.

"Wren, go!" and I ran up twenty feet to throw the ballistic knife. The projectile shot and dug into his forehead, sending his eyes rolling back into his head and him falling down, dead on the spot. Second kill. Theo shot three bullets, one as a warning shot, and two into the water bottles that they had. No more water for them.

By this time the rest of the tributes were up, but we were already advancing on them, with one dead and two scurrying off. This left five to kill here. I started throwing my knives with deadly accuracy, pinning them to the Cornucopia's wall and Theo shooting a bullet every now and then or Cali and Aeryn getting an arrow through them. I hated to admit it was fun.

At the end of the siege, we looked around. One who I nicked in the leg was trying to hobble back at us, the gash in his thigh spewing out blood every time he put weight on it. He didn't care. He came running towards me, as I was his attacker. He tried to punch me, but I blocked the attack, grabbed his arm, and tackled him to the ground. He was stronger than I was though, and kicked me off. That was when Theo came in and actually fought him. It looked like something I saw in training, only it ended up with his neck being snapped and his body crumpling to the ground in an awkward position.

"Well, that was dirty." Theo's breath came out in pants. Now it was my turn to look scared of him. I wasn't, of course, but I was just in awe.

"Where did you learn that?"

"I mean, when Four and Peter were my trainers..." he let out a sigh.

"Protection and offense rather than the defense and few offensive skills we teach you all. They were in a war, I would think that the Dauntless born probably learned more about offense as well." he shrugged. "Inventory?"

"We should clear the dead first. They won't collect until we've gone."

"How far?"

"About twenty feet should do." so we ran to the edges of the attack, where the shovel was. Sure enough, we saw the Capitol craft come and collect each body separately. Then we advanced and took inventory.

"Well, all their water is gone. That's okay, we have plenty. But they also had more weapons." I saw slingshots and blow darts sitting at the edge of the horn, where the first dead tribute sat. Pity, he seemed only about fourteen. Too young.

"There's poison over here." Adam shouted to me. I had no use of poison, and I had no idea what it could be. "They took snake and scorpion venom. That means there might be some somewhere, keep a lookout."

"At least we have nothing to fear from the Capitol for a couple days, they got their action."

"Yeah, they probably love us to death." I scoffed.

"Easy on the killer jokes." Theo smirked at me. We all had to laugh at that. I was amazed I still had a sense of humor in here. It was so close to Dauntless, aside from having to run and kill people every so often.

"Okay, so," Cali called us all together. "We killed five. So there's still three lurking around waiting for us to get weaker, and the three staying by the edges are still alive. I only heard five cannons. So, what do you say, we play the defensive and take the Cornucopia?"

"Yeah, sounds about right to me." I nodded in agreement. "We'll stay here and wait for people to come take our stuff. And then we attack."

* * *

**_AN: Hahaha I'm so funny with those last couple of jokes. Anyway, thank you for reading and don't feel afraid to review, I want to make sure that reading it is the best experience for you all, so if there's anything I can change, let me know! A quick note on Tobias' POV: I know it's not the best, and that I will neve r be able to compare to Veronica Roth's writing. Yes, I know this. And he's not my character, she's the author, of course she'll have the best perspective. But I want to try to understand him more, so I'm trying out his perspective too. Just a note for past POVs and future ones too!_**


	50. Chapter 50

When Factions Collide

Chapter 50: Tobias

I didn't think I could bear to watch anymore but an hour a day. Although, I must say, seeing Wren's reaction to her getting the shovel made it worth giving to her. There was no other excitement that day. No, the excitement came the next day.

We were all sitting in the Pit again, our usual hangout spot, and turned on the projector to see an update. What I expected to see was them trekking to find food, or maybe just sitting and enjoying the water. What we ended up seeing was an attack on the eight by the Cornucopia. It was five on eight, and they still won. Of course they did, they had three Dauntless with them. I was surprised to see that Adam was in the group, but I figured they would kill him off eventually. But the attack was brutal. I didn't know she could throw knives. I also forgot how much offensive technique I actually taught to Theo, but he broke the kid's neck when he tried to come back and attack. I admit, I cringed a little when I saw it. I've seen worse in my life, sure, but seeing one of your friends kill someone else on the television is not the best image to have. It's not who he was as a person, though, which helped ease the fear a little.

"Four," someone called my name. I turned to see who it was. It was Bri. She was going to get cake.

"Yeah, sure." I got up with her.

"I just wanted to tell you, Nate and I broke up."

"What?" They seemed so fine yesterday.

"Apparently he doesn't think I have a good reason to be snooping through Peter's files."

"That's crazy." I said. Now she really had a right, she needed to find her past.

She exhaled loudly. "I know. But I just wanted to tell you."

"Well, I'm certainly sorry to hear that. Can I help with anything?"

"No, I think it's okay to be alone. In fact, I kind of enjoy it. Freeing. I don't have to deal with people."

I laughed. "Right. Well, if you need anything, let me know."

"Will do." we sat back down and I turned off the projector. Funny, Nate was still sitting with us. Then again, so was Mels, and she and Isaac weren't together. This didn't bode well for Theo or Wren, but I also figured if they could survive the games together, they could do just about anything.

* * *

The compound was almost boring without the two people who brought the group together, so I decided to torture myself a little more and go for a trip down memory lane. The first stop was the rope net which caught Tris. I climbed in it, looking above through the hole into the blue summer sky. God how I missed her. I really didn't have a reason to stay here anymore, if it weren't for the fact that I had a good job, I had good friends, and I didn't want to live with my mother or the other Divergents.

Once I climbed out, I went to the training room, where we first really met. Or at least, I touched her, trying to help her fight. She was so small, but God was she strong. Strong in heart, strong in her fight, strong while she died, so I heard. She did not die in vain, and I know it would have killed her to see me doing this, moping around. But everyone else was bringing her up. I couldn't help it.

I moved on to the chasm, where I first kissed her. I stood on the rock, thinking of her hand in mine and how it felt, that rush after my fear landscape, that rush when I felt her lips on mine. So much had changed then. I didn't want to leave, I was happy here, reliving the memories, the warmth.

I don't know how I ended up outside, sitting on the steps to the entrance of the compound, but when I did, I heard footsteps come and sit by me. Christina had decided to come and visit.

"You miss her, don't you?" she sat down next to me.

"I always do."

"What brought this on? Was it that girl?"

"Wren? Maybe."

"She's no look alike."

"No, no one could ever compare to Tris in looks. She was fierce."

She chuckled. "Yeah she was. But the attitude,"

"The attitude is so similar. And she looks up to her. Heroism."

"I don't know if Tris would have liked that."

"She would have hated it."

"Probably, yeah. But Four,"

"Hm?"

"Don't live like you're dead. If she's holding you back, don't let her, because you know that's the exact opposite that she would have wanted."

"Christina, come to the Capitol with me."

"What?"

"Let's go. Today. We should go to the Capitol?"

"Just you and me?"

"Yeah. Plus, I can introduce you to a friend of mine."

"Four, this is like so sudden, what brought this on?"

"I want to be there. I just want to get away all of a sudden. I want to live a little bit."

"And you're taking me...why?"

"Because aside from Peter, who I don't want to take, you're the only one who I still talk to who knows what I went through." I looked at her.

"Yeah, sure, I'll go." she nodded. "I'll have to tell my family, but I'll go. I've kind of always wanted to see the Capitol."

"Yeah, it's an interesting place. But don't consider it a date." I said seriously.

"Wouldn't dream of it. I know where your loyalties lie. What are you gonna tell your friends though?"

"Peter will be fine, and Bri has an eye on him. Isaac is a leader, and Dauntless won't miss me too much for a few days."

"Alright, when are we leaving?"

"Next train comes tonight around nine."

"I'll be ready then. Meet at the Hub?"

"Sure, Hub at eight. Thank you Christina, for helping me. It means a lot."

"I know. It helps me too. It's weird. Some days I feel fine. But others, I feel like breaking down. That's why I can't come back here. I just can't deal with it."

"I understand. See you tonight."

"See you tonight, Four." and we parted ways.


	51. Chapter 51

When Factions Collide

Chapter 51: Tobias

Christina met me at the Hub at eight twelve, twelve minutes after I told her to. I saw her running in black clothes, almost like Dauntless clothes. I think they were.

"Are those-"

"From the compound? Yeah. Found them in my drawer. Didn't know how much I needed to bring so I got a change in my bag."

"They've plenty of clothes, trust me."

"So what's on the agenda, Four?"

"Well, distractions, and finding out any information about the Capitol as possible. And talking to a few people. You'll be my lie detector."

"What's this for?" she seemed curious and suspicious.

"Well, you know how Bri is all in Peter's face? I was thinking about finding a way to stop the Games and-"

"You're not thinking about another War, are you?"

"I'm not if Peter's not. That's what this is for. To find out what he's planning."

"Okay, and what about the Games?"

"We'll obviously keep an eye on them too. We have to, Wren and Theo are still in. That and we can't really get away from them in the Capitol. It's kind of a festival."

"So huge party over killing people?"

"Yeah pretty much." I sat down near the rails. The train would be here in about forty minutes. Christina sat down across from me.

"Will we constantly have to watch on the train?"

"Probably not, but I suggest if you don't want to watch that you either sleep or look out the window, because that's the only thing that's going to be on the television."

"How long of a trip?"

"Fifteen hours."

"I've never been to another city before."

"Yeah, it's nice, kind of freeing not to be in Chicago's grasp all the time. I can take you anywhere, really."

"What gives you the power to go outside whenever you want?"

"I used to be a leader, if you don't remember."

"Yeah but that was two years ago."

"Status still helps sometimes." That ended the conversation as we both sat waiting for the train.

At nine sharp, I heard the screeching of the rails and the headlights in the distance. The train stopped for us and we got on. No one checked to make sure we weren't terrorists or anything, but then again, they were expecting us.

"So this is luxury." Christina looked at the fixtures and the deluxe layout that was before her. I was used to this, as Peter and I as leaders went around to the other cities.

"Figured you would have been used to this at Candor."

"Oh no, luxury is different there. That's if someone gives you a compliment on a holiday. We're just not dark, is all." she made the pointed remark about Dauntless.

"Wealth is for Erudite." she lay on one of the couches and sprawled out and laughed. "This is so cool!"

"Glad you think so." I smiled at her childishness and went to pour myself a drink from the bar.

"Where are the bedrooms?"

"Well, first, do you want something to eat or drink?"

"Eat, no, I'm good. I'll take whatever you're having to drink."

"Gin?"

"Sure. Pour me a glass." So I made two drinks and handed one to her across the bar.

"Want the shades open?"

"What will I be seeing?"

"Probably trees for now, but we'll be in Capitol limits, which is basically everywhere but the other cities, so it shouldn't be boring too long."

"Will we go through other cities?"

"I don't know." it was a passenger train, so if anyone else was coming, then yes, but I wasn't sure if anyone else was coming.

"Well, I think I'm going to say yes on that one. Give me a tour, since you know it so well."

"Okay, well, bedrooms are through the door on the right, and two doors down is the skylight. I'll probably be in there most of the night. Go to your right and you'll find yourself in the dining room. That's about it." I shrugged.

"Take me to the skylight."

"Sure." I opened the door and led her through the bedrooms as well. "You can stay in whichever one you'd like. Like I said, I'll probably be in this room." I opened the door to the night sky all around.

"Whoa, this is neat. It's sort of like the Pit."

"Yeah, but not as dark, right?"

"Right." she turned to me. "Tris would have liked it." It occurred to me that Christina really did think about her friend as much as I did. "I think Will would have too." Now that name was an old wound being opened.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, he would always talk during initiation about getting something with a little light, so he could see the stars and teach me about constellations. I think he would have liked it, we probably would have been talking about stars the whole night."

"Have you found anyone else to make you happy?"

"Well, I've tried dating around once or twice, but no one can ever match him, no. It's just not the same, you know?"

"Yeah, I do." And I did. I've tried for years to become happy, to go out, and I knew she would hate me for it, but I would always end up thinking about her and how I was betraying her. She never wanted to leave me and I never wanted her to leave.

"But I think that they would have liked coming with us. To Tris and Will."

"To Tris and Will." we clinked glasses and sat down, looking at the night sky.

* * *

I woke up on the couch I was laying in as I looked at the stars. Christina was in the chair next to me, curled up in a dream. It was definitely a quiet night, but it was just as well, because we enjoyed it. It was nice to have someone to talk to, who was just as upset and broken inside as I was. She always struck me as the strong one, the one who could get over anything in a day, but both deaths struck her that she fell over and could not get up again. I wondered how we went on everyday, with the constant heartbreak tugging at us, but I realised it was out of bravery that we were still alive. It was out of bravery that I didn't take the memory serum. And had I done so, I wouldn't be as happy as I was now, although a twinge of sadness struck me every so often.

I looked out the window to see a few buildings and small towns pass as we rode through, nearing the Capitol. These places were still Capitol folk, but they were probably occupied with jobs such as making sure that no one was trying to escape the holds of the districts, or maybe they were where the conductors of the trains lived off duty. They weren't cities, but temporary abodes. It was nine, which meant we had slept for almost twelve hours. I hadn't had that good of a sleep in years. I assumed Christina hadn't as well.

Getting up quietly as not to wake her, I went through the bedrooms to the kitchen to see what they had to eat. When I came to one of the bedrooms though, I figured it was a good idea to change. Hopefully they stocked up on men's clothing. Sure enough, I found something that was not as comfortable as what I would wear in the compound, but it was better than any of the button downs they had. Those were too Erudite for my taste.

Going to the dining room, I saw a few servers setting up a table with two spots, one for me and the other for Christina. I saw her walk in wearing the same thing as yesterday. She sat down across from me and reached for a roll.

"You left without me."

"I didn't want to wake you."

"I woke up about six minutes after you."

"Sorry, let me know next time." I teased her. She frowned at me.

"Anyway, what are the plans?"

"We get there in three hours. First, we find Jada-"

"Who is this Jada guy?"

"One of the stylists. Met him last time I was here. Next, we find information about the Capitol and their technology. Then we talk to Xavier as quickly as we can. Then we take the day or maybe a couple to relax, and go back."

"So who am I your lie detector for?"

"Xavier. He's part of Peter's scheme."

"Maybe."

"Right, maybe." I ate the food that they gave me, which was rich and every bite was perfect. That was one thing about the Capitol; they might be strange and artificial, but they had the best food. "Wonder if their cake is as good."

"Find out."

"Fine, I will. Excuse me," I shouted to a server coming around. "Do you by any chance have chocolate cake?" she nodded and came back with a small plate. There were no strange looks given to me, it's like they're taught to expect anything.

"How is it?" Christina was still working on her omelet while I tried some of the cake. Immediately my face soured.

"Not good. Well, that's a lie." I put the fork down. "It's okay. But it's not Dauntless. No one will ever convince me that our cake isn't good. It may not be good _for_ you, but if the Capitol can't beat it, it's some damn good cake."

"Let me try," she took a small piece and shook her head as she chewed. "Nope. Can't do it. Not even Candor ice cream is as good as Dauntless cake." we laughed. All the factions had some good aspect to them, even Abnegation, which had the best banana muffins. Candor had ice cream, Dauntless their cake, Erudite made soda, which in my opinion wasn't that good, and Amity had their bread. They cheated though, because they had serum in it.

We went back into the skylight room to wait for our entrance to the Capitol after spending quite some time joking and laughing in the dining room. Christina even convinced me to try a few more things, most of which I hated. They were way too fancy for my taste. It was actually really fun. It reminded me of the way things were at Dauntless during initiation their year.

Our conversations were light and of my previous journey to the Capitol. The standard questions: What was it like? How bright is it? Are the people nice? Are we dressed too formally or informally? Are we famous there?

"No, Chicago is like the child city of the Capitol. We're the youngest. The others have been around for years. We're just approaching our fifth year."

"Okay, but we have to be famous, right?"

"Wrong. Being the youngest doesn't always entitle you to fame. Really, we're the least famous, because we don't have victors. That's one reason I want us to get Wren and Theo out of there, so we can win for once. I don't want to be known as the young city who can't fight back. I want to be known as someone who has not one, but two victors."

"Are there any other tales of star-crossed lovers there?"

"No, well, not in the Capitol. But yes, there are. Have you ever heard of Katniss Everdeen?"

"No, but do tell."

"Well, she fought through twice and won. She and her husband Peeta went through, defeated the Games, and made the city fall. Once they started rebuilding, they fled from the Capitol's grasp. You never hear about them because only the Capitol knows about them. They're sort of like Tris. They're martyrs."

"Are they still alive?"

"Probably, they were only sixteen when it all happened."

"What Game was it?"

"The seventy fourth and fifth. Another Quell."

"So it's only been twenty five years?"

"Yeah, but four of those years have been with us in the midst. We're not even a fifth compared to the rest of the cities, and most of them have been established since before that."

"We really are young." she said in a small voice. "Oh! Tobias, look at that!" she saw the city approaching, all the buildings in the distance. "How far away are we?"

"I think it's only about fifteen minutes until we're in City Limits." That was basically downtown Capitol, so we would be arriving very soon.

"This is the coolest thing. Thanks for taking me!"

"Who else was I going to take?"

"Well, there was always Peter." she scrunched up her face and laughed. I poured us some gin like last night and handed her a glass.

"Act sophisticated, you're royalty now." I told her. She sat down in a chair and crossed her legs, sipping daintily from the glass. So Dauntless, so not Erudite. "I'm so glad you're still Dauntless on the inside, because you couldn't be Erudite if you tried."

"Oh yeah, and I remember when you said you were stuck at the Amity compound, _that_ must have been a riot!"

"I can be nice!"

"_Like a bed of nails_." she joked, using Tris' first description of me. "God, that must have been funny. It's like, I can't see you be anything but Dauntless. Hard to believe you used to be Abnegation."

"Not so hard to believe you're a Candor."

"At least I'm honest" she clicked her tongue and winked at me. "Could never be Erudite, how much brainpower do they actually have?"

"Probably not much, that's why they have to have their noses stuck in a book. It's the only thing that recharges them." Hence the nickname 'Nose' we gave them.

"I love seeing Four unplugged." she laughed at my joke.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean when you don't have a filter."

"Oh, the only person I've ever really been able to do that with was-"

"Tris, yeah, and the only person I could ever be nice to was her. And Will. And Al, I guess."

"Yeah, the good old days, when life was simple and I was being whipped by a Stiff."

"You know you loved her."

"The Candor friend I could have done without." she stuck out her tongue at me and looked above at the buildings we were passing by.

"This is going to be the best trip ever." she smiled and drank, and I drank as well.

"To the Capitol."

"May the odds be ever in your favour."

* * *

**_AN: I feel that Allegiant went into their friendship on a personal level of grief, but not enough about the casual remarks. So I had to explore their dynamics, being a Dauntless/Abnegation and a Dauntless/Candor who really only had one thing in common. That one thing united them throughout the war, but then we didn't get too much about after that, only what was in the epilogue. So I really wanted to find the center to both of them, what really connected them after everything was said and done, and replay the memories between them, experiment with both of their perspectives, how the memories were different for them._**


	52. Chapter 52

**_AN: Woohooooo it's update time! It's also unfortunately back to school time, which means that I won't be updating as much, but we don't have too much longer together, it appears in my plot line. So just a huge thank you to anyone who stuck around with me for this long, I hope I've exceeded your expectations. Thank you for anyone following and reviewing and thank you to all you that at least gave it a try, although it may not have suited your fancy. It means a lot to have so many followers on my other stories, and to know that this one has hope, that's better than I could ever ask for. So thank you, and keep on reading!_**

* * *

When Factions Collide

Chapter 52: Wren

"Don't speak." I heard the words against my ear just as I was falling asleep.

"What's going-"

"I said don't speak." the voice belonged to one of the voice of one of the Los Angeles boys who was at the Cornucopia before we invaded.

The past two days had brought nothing, and we really just sat around. There were a few distant noises, like another sand storm or an animal attack, but we had only heard two cannons. I was surprised the Capitol wasn't bringing us closer yet, but if they weren't, that meant someone was looking for us or they hadn't gotten bored yet.

"You're coming with us." he held a knife to my throat. It was one of the machetes. I inconspicuously grabbed some poison darts and was dragged into the desert, away from everyone else.

"Did you grab her?" another one of the boys whispered harshly. I turned around to get a look at my attacker, but he forcefully turned my head forward again and kept walking. I heard whimpers and realised I was not alone, they had taken the other fringe tribute as well, the other girl from the Big Apple.

"What are you going to do to us?"

"You, nothing but a fast kill." and I heard a snap. They broke her neck. The cannon went off.

"But you," one of the others pointed at me. I think it was Dameon, one of the strong looking boys from Annapolis. "You are going to painfully die. Why did you attack us?"

"Well, you see-" I was cut off.

"Stop. One word only."

"Why?"

"So that way we don't have to put up with you too long."

"Kill."

"No, we want answers first, but then we'll kill you. We wanna make sure that you know your crimes."

"Crimes?"

"Well, you don't just attack without a reason, and you didn't come after us like we thought. So why did you attack? Why did you not kill us on the spot?"

"Bored."

"You were bored, so you came to torture us instead of make your lives easier and win?"

"Gamemakers."

"What about them?"

"Fun." they looked puzzled.

"You tortured us for fun?"

"Capitol." one of the boys from the Capitol looked up. His eyes met mine and scowled. I stared back, not losing any ground.

"Why are you so confident? You shouldn't be. You're trapped, with no way out."

"Dauntless." I smiled, my teeth gleaming white in the moonlight. I kicked the one holding me in the groin, and grabbed his knife. The others came rushing towards me, but I had a knife in one of their chests before they laid a hand on me. Cue the cannon. "THEO. CALI." I shouted in the direction of the horn as the one I kicked got up. There was another one coming toward me, but I punched him in the gut before sweeping the other one out from under his feet. I heard the rushing footsteps of my allies, all four of them coming to help me fight. I had it pretty well at this point, had one of them not grabbed my hair and pulled me down. Then I realised I had the darts. I stuck one into his thigh and watched him sink to the desert sand, but not before he caused a gash in my arm to appear, the blood soaking through the suit.

"You bastard." I plunged a knife into his heart, ending his life before the poison did. The cannon went off again, and the other boy escaped, limping as he ran. I tried throwing knives, but my right arm was weak from the gash and my left wasn't accurate, so it hit the tree by his head instead.

"Wren!" Theo shouted and came to my side as I held my arm. "You're hurt."

"Careful, there's some poisonous darts lying around."

"You be careful. Wren, we've gotta get this wrapped up somehow. Here," he ripped some of my sleeve off and fashioned it into a bandage around my arm, sealing the flow. It did a little good, but the sleeve was still soaked with fresh blood. "What happened?" as he took some water he brought and cleaned up the drying blood.

"They ambushed me. Just me. I don't know why it was just me, but it was me and a fringe girl, but they snapped her neck and started questioning me."

"You're alright. You're alright. Where did they go?"

"I killed two of them, but the third one ran off."

"We've got to go after him." Adam said from behind Theo.

"No, let him go. He'll die on his own somehow."

"No," Cali interjected. "He's right. We have to go after him. They must have had a reason for finding just you."

I breathed heavily. "They thought I started the attack."

Theo shook his head. "You should have screamed for our help or something."

"They had a knife on my throat." I shouted through gritted teeth. I shuddered, remembering the feel of the metal against the tender flesh of my neck.

"Well, we've got to do something." Aeryn agreed with Cali, making the vote four to one.

"Fine. Let's go."

"Here, let me help-" Adam offered a hand as Theo placed his hand on the small of my back.

"Adam no!" he took a step forward onto the poison darts, sending one up his boot into his foot. There were six tributes left, and that number would go to five now.

I rushed back to the horn, getting antivenom that was sent down by Four. I wasn't thinking, I just ran. I had to save him, he was human. I couldn't just let him die, no matter who he was, no matter what happened. He told me to leave, but I refused. Theo raced after me, leaving the other two back in the desert lands.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm not going to let him die. Not yet. I don't want anyone else dead tonight." I panted as I reached for the serum. My blood was pumping through my veins and I could hear my heart beating behind my ears. The wound on my arm wasn't doing too well with my increased physical activity either. I felt a bit faint and slid down the horn.

"Wren," he knelt beside me.

"No, take this to him. I'll be fine. Leave me be for a little." I winced at my arm, looking around for something I could put on it.

"I'll be back for you, I promise." he nodded and left me against the horn as I tried to catch my breath. I sobbed once, a huge release of the energy and pain built up inside of me. I wasn't cut out for this, no matter how Dauntless I was, this was too much. This was not the way to die, and the guilt was eating me up inside more than the gash in my arm.


	53. Chapter 53

When Factions Collide

Chapter 53: Tobias

Christina walked along side me as we went to the stylists' room. It was more like a chapel, a formal congregational room where all the stylists met and chatted about their tributes, watching the Games, eating, drinking, laughing. Doing everything opposite to what the tributes were doing.

"I need to speak to Jada," I asked to one of the doormen. They led me in and pointed across the room, where he was talking to his assistants. I recognised the short hair, patterned with gold and the black suit against his olive skin.

"Jada!" I called out to him. He turned and came up to me, abandoning his conversation with the others.

"Tobias Eaton, magnificent of you to come around. Who is this?" he gestured toward Christina.

"This is my friend, Christina. Christina, this is the aforementioned stylist I was talking about."

"Pleasure." she smiled politely.

"The pleasure is mine, lady of Dauntless." he said to her, grasping her hand with both of his and shaking it. I saw a smile creeping on her face. "What can I do for you, Tobias?"

"Well, for one thing, you can help me get in touch with Xavier. I need to speak with him."

"About the Peter thing?"

"Yes, it seems that Bri was able to tap into Peter's inbox and send a message to Xavier. We didn't know what to do with it."

"No guarantees that he's an evil mastermind, but I can get you to speak with him today, if you'd like."

"Brilliant. The next thing, do you have anywhere you could recommend we stay the night?"

"Stay with me. My house will be able to fit all of us without a problem. Wouldn't want you wasting money on a room here, they're all so expensive anyway." he leaned into us when he said it, chuckling a little bit.

"Um, crazy question." Christina asked. "How old are you? You just look really young."

"I'm only nineteen, but I started the whole stylists occupation when I was fourteen."

"Five years as a stylist? I couldn't even imagine what faction to choose at fourteen."

"Surely you must be Dauntless."

"Well, I was, but after the whole War thing," she looked at me and I nodded her to go on. "The whole Dauntless compound just kind of stopped being appealing, so I went back to Candor."

"You seem Dauntless."

"Yeah, left my heart there, but I can't go back to it." I smiled at her, being a supportive friend.

"May I get you a drink? Or shall we go see Xavier now?"

"I think seeing Xavier would be wonderful, but let's actually enjoy the Capitol atmosphere a bit, for Christina's sake." I answered.

"Perfect! When do you leave?"

"Oh, probably in a couple days, can't be away too long."

"Of course not. Well, if the five allies keep this up, you might as well stay to watch the victor's ceremony. Shortest Games yet!"

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"There are only nine tributes left."

"Really? How much did we miss?"

"A lot. But Wren and Theo are of course, still alive." he lowered his voice. This was the Jada I knew. He only put on an act to please the Capitol. "If things keep up the way they are, then there will only be four within the next few days. It's only been five days so far anyway. Most last two weeks."

"They had to have found out about what the chips can do. No way they'd be able to kill people with so much ease."

"Things are looking up for them, for their lives, but tell me, can they even get hurt?" Christina was totally out of the loop in this one, and her eyes started growing wider.

"What's going on?"

"I'll have to tell you that later, in private. Yes, they can still get hurt. It's not like I made them indestructible, but I have control over whether they live or die."

"Well, they seem to be doing well with that on their own. How fast does the healing process take?"

"Actually, that's the only bug I've found. Though their immunities kick up, it slows down the clotting process, making wounds heal slower, but less susceptible to infection."

"Interesting take. How does that work?"

"The amount of white blood cells and immune cells surround the wound, but the platelets are slower to the uptake. It's all very Erudite."

"You seem very good with technology."

"I'm excellent when it comes to research, yes."

"Four, what's going on?"

I turned to her. "You can't get mad at me. But I inserted them with a chip that keeps them alive. I had to do it, for the sake of their Divergence. They're prototypes, the chips, but I wanted to test them on tributes to see the effects, and they would only work with the Divergent because their brains are mapped differently, and the perfect time to test them were the Games. I didn't exactly plan it to be Theo and Wren, but it ended up being so. You can't get mad at me, and you can't blow up or tell anyone."

"Who have I to tell?" she looked at me with a blank look on her face. Like she didn't recognise me anymore. "Tobias, why?"

"Do you remember in the labs, outside the city?"

"Of course."

"They were experimenting with different prototypes that would establish longer living and preserved GP's. I took the samples they had and tweaked them. And now I'm testing them. And they appear to be working."

"But what will happen?"

"Hopefully, if Peter starts a war, then nothing, the Divergent will be safe if I can make more. If he's not planning a war, I turn them off. Either way, they're doing a load of good keeping my friends alive."

"And if we're not genetically pure?"

"I'm working on that."

"You're becoming one of them. One of the Erudite. You're like Jeanine." she threw at me.

"I'm really not. If you could see the good I'm doing here, I have one, Jada does. You don't see anything wrong with us. It simply enhances the brain activity, and brainpower that the Divergents have."

"No, you're right, you're not like Jeanine. You're like Evelyn." Ouch. That one hurt. "You want to make a Divergent takeover!"

"No! That is not what I'm doing. I'm taking precautions against Peter-"

"You don't even know if he's planning to do anything!"

"Would you rather what happened last time? Another simulation? Another Tris?" I stood up.

That made her shrink back. "It prevents simulations?"

"It prevents them."

"I thought it _was_ a simulation."

"No. It's supposed to help against them. It prevents any dishonorable death, it does not cause immortality."

"Oh." she sat back down and I followed suit. She was still angry, but she understood me now.

"Do you want anything to drink before we leave to find Xavier?" Jada piped in.

"No, thanks, I think I'm ready, what about you, Four?"

"Let's get some answers." I nodded on.


	54. Chapter 54

When Factions Collide

Chapter 54: Tobias

The information session proved worthless with Xavier, he wasn't going to spill anything if he _did_ know if Peter was planning something. The only valuable information we got was that yes, he had been in contact with Peter, and that no, he had not seen the message that Bri sent to him, although Christina's eyes narrowed when he said it, making me suspicious. All in all, it was a useless idea. Like I thought it would help to question someone without Dauntless guards flanking me. This wasn't the city, and he was Head Gamemaker. He had more power than I did at the moment.

"Maybe go to Plutarch, see if he has anything to say about it?" Jada suggested when we went out for dinner.

"I don't even know the president. And what do you think I could do, just go in and submit a comment on the Head Gamemaker?"  
"Four, we'll figure out something. If anything, you know Bri has a good handle on it at home and it'll be fine. I don't think the President would allow a war."

"It's so frustrating, conspiracies."  
"Here's a good suggestion, don't conspire." Christina laughed.

"Ha-ha. Funny. When _don't_ I conspire? I practically conspired against my girlfriend before, and look what happened there."

"Well, worrying about it now doesn't help anything." Jada tried to calm me down. "Order a drink, and relax. We'll figure out something sometime soon, but enjoy the Capitol, it is Christina's first time here, I presume." she looked at him and smiled.

"Yeah, it is. Brought her with me, thought it might be fun." I looked over at them.

"Excuse me, a drink for the lady." he brought a server over. "And of course, one for Tobias, here." he pointed at me. The server nodded and came back with our drinks a moment later.

"Normally I don't go for mixed drinks, they're not the worst, but they're not my favourite," I paused to sip the concoction in the glass. "But I could drink this all night."  
"Feel free to, it's on me." he raised his glass to us and drank in a long time before coming back for air. "Plan on doing anything tonight? I could show you around."

"That would be wonderful!" Christina exclaimed to him. They seemed to be getting along nicely, she seemed happy, he seemed to like her. Who was I to stop anyone from being happy?

"Perfect, I'll show you all the good spots, tour you around. Tobias probably knows a lot too." he looked at me.

"I know the business district, but not the downtown area, so it would be new for me too." I said, taking a bite of the food they brought out to us.

"Whenever you're ready, my friends. Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we plan."

I was a bit exhausted by the time we had finally made it to Jada's place. He was fairly wealthy in the Capitol, as styling tributes seemed to pay good money. His sprawling manse was an ode to that. It wasn't actually _that_ big, but it was bigger than where I lived, personally, so there was that.

"For one person, you have a lot of space." I commented.

"My assistants regularly live here too, it's usually the four of us unless one gets called off somewhere."

"Well, for four people, it's still bigger than reasonable."  
"We have a lot of space here, in the Capitol, and we take advantage of it." he smiled. He was trying to impress Christina, I knew that much, because normally he was not this cheerful. She wasn't falling for the act either, being Candor, but she was being friendly and she genuinely liked him, so there was that.

"This is beautiful." she drew in a breath at the marble foyer. "Jada, I love this."

"Thank you, if you'll follow me, I'll show you your rooms. The house is open to you whenever you'd like, you're free to roam anywhere at all."

I admit, I was grateful for his offer. But then he made the whole spectacle of the Games probably being over in a few days, meaning the shortest possible ever. That was a bit weird to think about. I didn't think that they would be out that quickly, but maybe the chips did help a little, not just being Dauntless. Hopefully the good luck would last and we would be out of here in three or four days with our victors.

Once we got settled into our rooms, I took my shirt off and sat in bed, thinking to myself. I heard a knock on the door as Christina waited outside for me to let her in. My first debate was if I should put something on, but I decided against it.

"Come in." I told her, sitting in bed still, my head resting against the board.

"Oh, sorry, didn't realise-"

"It's fine. What is it?"

"Nothing, really, I just wanted to thank you for taking me again. Jada is really nice and the whole city is really different from Chicago."

"Do you plan on staying here?" I asked bluntly.

"Oh God, no. I don't like it that much." she laughed, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"What about Jada?"

"He's good as a friend, but I can't see him as another Will. It just wouldn't happen. But I'll stay in contact of course."

"Of course."

"Can you believe that they might be out of there in three days?"

"Yeah, it's unbelievable."

"I wasn't sure, Four, but I think you might have done something good with this, the technology, I mean." she smiled at me. I smiled back tired and growing more drowsy as the minutes ticked on. She saw that and got up. "Well, I'll leave you here to rest. Goodnight, Four."

"Goodnight, Christina." and the lights went out.


	55. Chapter 55

When Factions Collide

Chapter 55: Wren

I sat there in pain for about five minutes, wondering when the chips would work their magic on me and I would be healed. I didn't feel any blood loss, but that didn't mean it wasn't there. The wound was slow to heal, which was bad on Four's part, but maybe he expected this, so I said to the sky, knowing he could see me: "You better tell me what's wrong as soon as I get out."

The sequence of events transpired as this: First, I was the one screaming in pain, clutching my arm. Then I heard the sound of Adam screaming in pain as he died, or maybe Theo was giving him the anti-venom. Either way, his screams of anguish were worse than mine, so I took up the pain of my arm, cast it aside, and ran to where the cries of pain were.

"He won't let me." Theo's face contorted whenever Adam shouted, pushing his hand away.

"Adam," I went to his side and grabbed his hand, much to Theo's dismay. "Adam you have to do this."

"No, no, I'll die. I told you I would."

"I'm not going to let that happen."

"Look at me," his hand came up and caressed my cheek. "Look at me and tell me that you'll be happier if I'm dead."

"I-" I looked away from him. "I can't." and I couldn't. Theo slipped me the syringe as his panting became more labored. We were lucky to have it on hand, but we were not lucky to have someone so stubborn they wanted to die.

"Why are you dying?" I asked him, tears in my eyes as I clasped the needle.

"Because it's the right thing to do other than be jealous. It's easier this way for me and for you. Now you won't have to fight anyone."  
"Wrong answer." I slipped the needle into his side and waited for the pain to ease from him. He looked down where my hand touched the skin.

"What did you do?"

"I'm helping you."

"No, Wren."

"Sh. You're going to live, just so you can annoy me a little longer." I smiled at him, still holding his hand. "He'll be alright, but I should stay here with him." Theo pursed his lips at that.

"If she stays, I stay too." he told the girls.

"Absolutely not. You go with them. Oh come on, don't give me that. If he were really going to try anything, he would have. It would have been a dying wish. And if he does, then I'll kill him myself."

"I trust you." he came up and kissed me hard before taking Adam's spear and leaving with the girls.

I sat with the blonde haired boy, whose breathing became easier and slower as time progressed and moonlight became sunrise. I don't know why I saved him, perhaps some remorse for killing the others. If I could save one life that mattered, then the others who died wouldn't have been such a tragedy. But making up for death does not make up for easing my own pain.

"Wren, your arm."

"Sh, sleep, you need the rest." but he did not. Instead he touched my wound and bloodied bandage with his finger, inspected it, and wiped it off on his own suit.

"What exactly happened to you?" He was stubborn enough to stay awake.

"I told you, they kidnapped me and interrogated me on the attack. I was pretty lucky they didn't snap my neck when they had the chance."

"The sunrise becomes you. Well, everything except for the wound. You look like a savage." he laughed. I'm sure I did, with my gash, my rough hands, the knife marks on my face and neck, and the bruises forming underneath the suit that no one could see. My body was growing thinner, due to not eating and no new muscle build up, but no muscle deterioration either. Sure, we had good meals, but only about once a day. We didn't really take the time out of our day to eat.

"Adam, you're an idiot for stepping on a dart."

"I only did it to get attention." he joked lightly.

"You're a fool." I teased back.

"Yeah, but I'm still hot, right?"

"Not at the moment, no." I laughed. It was funny that the Games brought out the best in people when they were supposed to bring out the worst. "You belong in Dauntless. I'm gonna make sure of that."

"I'm going to die sooner or later out here, you know that."

"Yeah, but not as stupid of a death as that."

"Who knows. I'm sorry I allied with Caroline. I don't know what happened there."

"The Games. That's what happened. That's what happened to all of us."

"You look hot when you're killing people though."

"No, no flirting. I don't care if you just got poisoned, although technically it's my fault. No flirting."

"Right, my bad." and then there was silence. I hadn't heard any cannons yet which was both good and bad. Good, because Theo was still alive. Bad, because so was the one who attacked me.

I sat there in the rising sunlight holding the hand of my used to be enemy, watching as his breathing became steady and he drifted into sleep. I dug a hole for water with the shovel that Theo had brought, and took off the bandage to clean the wound. Luckily, in the medications that I was rummaging through, Four sent us an antiseptic that would help with avoiding infection and hopefully-given it was from the Capitol-help speed up the healing process. The wound was no longer bleeding, but a spur of pain went through my body as I clenched my jaw and peeled off the reddish brown strip of cloth. I dipped my arm into the cool water, sighing with relief as the pain melted away, and I applied the antiseptic to my skin around the gash.

When I finally mustered the courage to look at it, it was a sizable thing, running from my shoulder to the middle of my arm, about three inches above my elbow. It wasn't so deep that it broke through the muscle, but it was going to have to be stitched up when I made it back to the Capitol.

I cleaned the wound, staining the water red, and ripped my other sleeve off to fashion a new gauze for it, wrapping tightly around the middle where it was the deepest. I covered the hole back up with sand so no one would try drinking water from there, opened up a new hole, and drank from that one.

The day passed slowly, with Adam drifting in and out of sleep and me cleaning the previous night's battle up, taking the darts and putting them in a stack, and piling up the other weapons on my right. I began humming an old Abnegation tune, which I hadn't realised I had remembered. Something about my chores and how to wash correctly, a little memory tool from when I was younger. I hadn't sang in years, but the sound of my voice must have been either extremely horrendous, or delightful because the sound woke Adam up from his slumber.

"You sing pretty. Keep going."

"What should I sing?" I didn't know anything else.

"There's a tune from Amity we used to sing, maybe you'll know it if I hum a few bars?" and sure enough, the words came back as he started humming, and I sang along with him. The words spoke kindly of people and how peace was the best feeling and how humanity was the hope of the world, something that Amity would sing about. I sang the verses and he hummed along, stopping sometimes to listen.

"I want you to know, if I die, I was only doing it to protect you." He said.

"Adam,"

"No, listen. You're important to me and you mean the world, but I know you're never going to give up Theo. And that's okay. He knows this too. You two are meant to be together, no matter what. But I hope that maybe in Dauntless, if I go back, then we can have a shot at being friends."

"Yeah, maybe." I half smiled. He took my hand and ran his thumb along it.

"You're one of the most amazing people I know. I'm honoured to be here with you."

I rolled my eyes, "God, maybe I should poison you more often, you get sentimental."

"I'm always sentimental. I just keep it from you because we fight so much."

"Yeah..." I didn't really have a good response.

"It's okay. I understand. But Caroline is gone now. There's nothing stopping us from being friends."

"You're too sweet on me."

"And to my detriment."

"You're recovering from poison and you still speak poetry to me."

"But I'm okay with it. Although my love for you will go unrequited, I'm glad it has not gone unnoticed."

"My bad."

"It's okay. I'm going to sleep now, but can I have some water?"

"I think that would be wise." I brought him a leaf that I wrapped around to make a cup, and gave it to him. It was the hottest part of the day, around two or three. There was little to no shade, except for the cacti surrounding us, but I sat against a rock that was there, so I myself was able to relax. I didn't really have a fear that the boy would come around to me again, so I let my body relax as I fell asleep too. I didn't hear the cannon shot before I heard the gut wrenching cry.


	56. Chapter 56

When Factions Collide

Chapter 56: Theo

When I left Wren, I was scared for her life. She was alone, besides Adam, who I didn't really see as a threat, but with her arm, hopefully she didn't get infected. But she seemed fine on her own, so I left with Cali and Aeryn to go find the man who tried to kill her. That meant there would be five of us left. One had to die. It would most likely be Adam. Poor kid, he had a chance, he really did.

We walked along the desert path, trying to find some sign of him where we walked. Unfortunately, there was a bit of wind, so the sand covered his tracks pretty well. Cali was expert at hunting, though, as she regularly did at home, so she was able to find a single sign, which was part of his boot strap that came off. Had we not seen it, we might not have found the cave he was in. _Was_ as in, he wasn't currently there anymore but he left his food and water there. That meant that he was not planning on coming back, or that he was gone momentarily. We thought it would be the second one, so we waited.

"So, about two months, and for a week you've been trapped in this hell." Cali started off.

"Yeah. Love her to death though, even though she can be quite stubborn."  
"I hope we see you two after the Games, because I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance. I want you to meet my boyfriend as well, his name's Trevor. Sweet as can be, though Paige keeps trying to make a move. No way that's gonna happen."

"Adam keeps trying to make a move on Wren, but that's never gonna work. She's loyal. So am I. Wouldn't dream of cheating." I looked out the cave, no sign of him.

"What about you and Aeryn? How long have you been friends?"

"Well, I'm a year younger than her," Aeryn spoke for herself. "But we saw each other in classes all the time. Always waved to each other, people thought we were sisters."

"Do you have any?"

"Nope."

"There's this guy at our compound, his name's Four," I laughed. "People always confuse us for one another. Not the slightest bit related. He's five years older than me! I never knew him until I went to Dauntless, but he was in the Second Purity War, which was funny, because so was I. Or, I was a refugee in Erudite at the time." I shook my head remembering the War. "Went to Dauntless when I was sixteen, and that girl, Caroline, her sister Beth and I dated for like a week before she threw herself off the chasm." it was the first time I had said her name in a year.

"Oh, Theo, that's awful."

"It was, for her. I personally couldn't stand her, I only dated her to get her off my back. Turns out that didn't work."

"Is that why you hate Caroline?"

"I hate her kind. She's the kind that prejudices against people who shouldn't be discriminated."

"Wow, glad she's dead. Can't believe Wren killed her. She seems so nice."

"She is! She can be the sweetest person, make you feel so special," which was true. "But if you get on her-or my-bad side, and she'll make life hell."

"My kind of girl."

"She came from Abnegation, so sixteen years of her life were spent with pent up aggression, and now she can finally do something about it. Wouldn't you, if you had the freedom?"

"Absolutely." Aeryn answered.

We sat for the next hour, waiting and waiting for this guy to come back. I was getting tired and put my head against the cave wall to rest. Cali didn't notice, but she kept watch anyway. I knew she would wake me up if anything important happened. But when I heard the scream, I didn't think that the boy was here so soon.

"Aeryn?" Cali shouted. "Aeryn!" she tried constantly to wake her up, but nothing happened. The eyes were ones of a ghost, the last look in them of fear. I didn't know what had happened, but then I saw the stinger. It was a scorpion, one which had the venom of a tracker-jacker. Their venom ranged from delerium to death. I could see that this was the latter.

"Get something, do something, Theo!" she screamed at me.

"I can't. There's no anti-venom around. Cali, she's dead."

"No, no, no..." were the muffled sobs coming from her as she put her head on Aeryn's stomach. I went over to try to console her, but she would have none of it. She threw my hand off of her back as she let out another sob of grief.

"When did this happen?"

"I didn't hear anything until she started whimpering," Cali said. "You were still asleep, and I thought that maybe she was just dehydrated. But when I went to dig a hole, I saw the scorpion by her arm." she took a shaky breath. "And she looked at me and said 'Five.'"

"Five?"  
"Five tributes left. Theo, I didn't want her to die." she sat and looked at me, her blue eyes glassy.

"Neither did I." This meant Adam would be a victor. "But we've got one more person to kill. So we better do it. I guess that's why he left the cave."

"Must be. Do we have to leave her here?"

I thought about it. "No. We can take her outside." I picked her up and carried her to the sand, setting her body down gently. The sun was setting. Cali took a blossom from a cactus and placed it in her hands, arranging it just over her stomach. I closed her eyes. "She's sleeping now."

"Don't try that on me. We know she's dead. I'm just doing this because we would have at home." She was being bitter to conceal her grief. I got that. We arranged the bow and arrow above her head, so the Capitol would know that she was a warrior.

Cali and I backed away after she said her final goodbyes. I had to turn away, I couldn't watch knowing that that could have or would happen to Wren at any point. I couldn't imagine losing her, but I began to think that this was what Four felt everyday, and I couldn't help but feel bad for him. I don't know how he made it this long, to be honest. I had never been in love before now, but I feel that it's akin to putting the world upon yourself just to support that person, and when they're gone, you're crushed by the strength of it. The gravity of the world pulsing against your shoulders because your source of anti-gravity holding the world up is gone. Maybe falling in love is like a heat surging through your body to keep it alive, and when they're gone that heat, that electric current keeping your body alive is gone. Whatever the idealism, when they're gone, so are you.

When the aircraft picked her up, Cali sobbed hard against my chest, saying "It's not fair" over and over, wailing against me. I couldn't help but agree with her, though I should have been telling her it was alright, we were going to be victors. I couldn't bring myself to do that, because I was not selfless. I was not Wren, and I was selfish.

"Should we go back and tell them?"

"No, she'll figure it out when Adam is a victor and Aeryn is not. We need to hunt this other one down. But we need rest first, it's getting dark."

"Not by the cave."

"No, not by the cave. But somewhere concealed."

"Tomorrow, we win, okay?"

"Yeah, we win. For Aeryn, we win."

"Right"

"Theo?" She said when we found a spot and laid down.

"Yeah?"

"I may not have known her that well, but I feel like she _was_ like my sister. Is that weird?"

"Not at all."

"I really hope after the Games we stay in touch, because you're a really good friend. Wren is lucky to have you. And you're lucky to have her." she turned away from me. "God, I can't wait to see Trevor again. I miss him like crazy. In a way, you're lucky to have Wren here. If you were to die, you know you have someone that would either preach your death as a warrior, or someone to die right there with you. I think she would do the latter."

Yeah, Cali. Yeah, she would. That's what scares me.


	57. Chapter 57

When Factions Collide

Chapter 57: Tobias

Nothing could have prepared me for the phrase: "Your tribute has been injured." Nothing could have sucked me in faster either. Wren was sitting, crumpled against the horn, holding her arm steady. There was a gash about a quarter inch deep running down her arm. She had not been in war, she had not been shot in the shoulder. She was still hurt, though, and the bleeding kept going and going because of the stupid chips. The only thing it would prevent was blood loss and infection at this point, and that wasn't going to do a bit of good if she didn't let it stop and clot, which would be hours until it happened.

The screen cut to Adam, who was also writhing in pain, but a slower kind of death, one of poison. Good thing we had sent them the anti-venom, unless they were planning on not using it and letting him die, which it seemed was the issue right now. But it was not. Theo stood with the syringe, trying to go somewhere Adam was not clawing at, and save him. The self righteous bastard wanted to die on his own terms.

"What do you think is going to happen to the tributes?"

"I think that he's gonna live because Theo is stubborn."

"And Wren?" Christina asked, her head against Jada. She may not have been interested in him like she was in Will, but she would play it out until we left. That's what has been happening for the past two days.

"She's going to live by the chip." I saw her pointing to the sky and saying something I couldn't hear, but I saw her mouth my name, and it was probably something like a threat. In fact, I was almost fairly sure it was.

"What if she dies?"

"She won't." But then I realised how self sacrificing she was as well, and I realised that if anyone could find a way to block that chip and die on her own, just to save someone else, it would be her. "That would be too above her." I consoled Christina. She didn't believe me. Stupid Candor. Of course it wouldn't be above her.

"Okay, Tobias."

"She sure can try to die, though." I ended up saying facetiously. Instead, she got up and ran to Adam, making sure he was alright. She was the reason he lived, and she stood by him to force him to live. I did not see that one coming.

This was the first time I let the television transfix me for a period of two hours. I never let myself become fascinated by the Games, but as we were nearing the end, I had to watch to see what would happen. It appeared that Theo, Aeryn and Cali had split up, and went hunting the other attacker. I walked away to get a drink, turning away from the television for a little bit. I came back about an hour or so later, around eight in the evening, to see that Aeryn had died.

"Five tributes. Five left. The attacker will die. Tomorrow, tomorrow they're coming home." Jada smiled. I wasn't sure to be happy for them or sad for the loss. Cali and Theo seemed rather upset as they laid down to rest. Since there was no more to report for the evening, Caesar went through the deaths of the previous night and Aeryn's. The two that were killed were the two boys from Annapolis, leaving the boy from the Capitol as the last one to die. Aeryn's was a sad death, because she was an ally, but it also meant that Adam was going to be a victor. The taste in my mouth became sour. He was going to be back in the compound.

"Not sure how I feel about Amity coming back."

"Adam? He seems nice."

"Too nice."

"Oh..." she looked at me, knowing what I meant by it.

We had once again spent the day touring, and I saw things I didn't know I could see. President Snow's mansion from when he was alive, where Katniss spent her last days. One of the old Arenas that was about a thrity minute drive from the inner Capitol that we toured around. Didn't know they kept them around for vacations. Seemed a bit somber. Of course, the seventy fourth and fifth Arenas were everyone's favourite, so we saw the seventy fourth. I thought that Wren would have been better suited there than out in the desert. Jada was a magnificent guide, acting Capitol for our sake, since we looked so out of place in our all black Dauntless clothing. We had tried so hard to stay away from the recent Games that the three hours we spent in front of the television was a sin, although most Capitolites had their eyes glued to a television screen. Thank God no one took that in the literal sense, it felt like something they would do.

I had sat in bed after they went over the deaths, thinking about life in the compound after the Victor Ceremony. Everyone would be in an uproar, and in six months they would be going on a Victor's Tour around the cities. Then they would be mentors for the rest of their lives, forced to spend a few weeks in the Capitol being adored. They would no longer have private lives. I envisioned the future as bad, and I realised they had no choice in what they wanted. Maybe it would have to come down to another war. Freedom of choice versus peace of mind. I knew what my choice would have been. I would rather not be brain washed like I almost had been so many times. I didn't understand Amity, they wanted peace so much they were willing to be induced with happiness. I didn't understand Abnegation either, where they had no choice, where they wanted someone else to choose what they did. But then, other people would take advantage and be selfish. Choice was hard. Giving everyone that freedom was not worth a war. But neither was the Capitol brainwashing we were suffering. So what was the purpose of fighting? Easy. To see what takes precedence in virtue.

* * *

_**Thanks so much for sticking by my updates today! My friend was telling me that this was kind of wrote out like a movie. I guess that's kind of true, I can see it happening in my head. She also said it was like a 'Divergent: The Next Generation' kind of thing, which I can totally see. But anyway, enough with the anecdotes, I'm going to write the rest of my summer away and see you at the next update! Thanks for reading!**_


	58. Chapter 58

_**AN: So this is the last batch of chapters for the book! Wow! My longest one so far, and all of you have been through it with me. As for not updating, I do apologise, as I've been busy with college essays and applications...the joys of senior year, amiright? Anyway, please enjoy! Happy Reading!**_

* * *

When Factions Collide

Chapter 58: Theo

We woke up early the next morning. I wanted so badly to check on Wren and see how she was doing, but Cali persuaded me to do everything but that, so we kept moving in the direction we were headed yesterday, only stopping to take a break for water. We had been in the Arena for eight days, and I had only really gotten severely bruised. There should have been more injuries, but I wasn't one to complain about good luck. Not until the flares appeared.

"Oh God Cali move!" I pushed her out of the way taking the heat of it, literally. They weren't made of fire, but it seemed the Capitol was getting bored and wanted to spice life up a little, which ended up with me getting a burn and a deep cut on my back. It was small, I would get over it.

"Whoa, are you okay?" she saw the flesh on the back, the burn that had ripped through the suit, and the gash that resulted from me landing wrong on one of the arrows.

"I'm fine. I'll be okay. We'll get out of it. That was fast."

"Theo, are you sure you're alright?" she seemed so worried. I didn't realise how deep it was until I looked on my back. The cut was deeper than I thought, reaching about half an inch deep. Small, but bloody. I laughed, now we would both have a scar somewhere, once they healed it. Not even Capitol technology would heal the scar.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Why didn't they take so long on the flaming attack?"

"I think they wanted to see what immediate damage it would cause, not a lasting effect." she breathed out. My back was aching now, the burn that it had caused left the skin around the cut singed a bit. Luckily, it was only that and part of my left hand, but I would be able to go on.

"Hey, look, more signs." she pointed at the empty water bottle by the rock. It wasn't all evaporated, meaning he couldn't be too far from here. A few yards later, we saw another strap of his boot.

"He's got to be close."

"Yeah...too close." I felt something off. I was right.

He had come up behind me and kicked my feet out from under me, making me yelp out of pain and landing on the bad shoulder. Cali turned around and had a bow and arrow fixed on him as he took the spear I had and had it positioned over my stomach. I had grabbed it and tried to force it away, but I had to let go because of my hand.

"What do you want?"

"I want to win. And the only way I can do that is if I kill you." he tried thrusting down on the spear, but I used the rest of my energy tokick him in the gut and knock him off balance, so I could stand up. This was where my Dauntless training would come in.

"I'm not afraid of you." I held up my hands in a defensive position, but he ran with the spear and tried to ram it into me. Luckily, although too slow of a reaction, he only made the tip of it cut past the suit, causing a prick in my skin before I grabbed it and forced the other end up and down, pushing the spearhead into his foot.

"I'll kill you!" he took the spear out and started running after us.

"Yeah, like to see that happen, Capitol boy." she shot one of the arrows. It nicked part of his ear off. Her second arrow went into his shoulder, but not enough to incapacitate him. He started throwing rocks at us as he ran with a strong limp. I stopped and started fighting, but he took the rock and tried to smash it into my head. I ducked in time for it to come down and scrape across my scalp, but nothing that would cause a serious concussion. He punched me in the stomach, but I was able to get him in a headlock then, seeing as I towered over him, and I tackled him down to the sand.

"Do you want the kill?" I asked Cali. "Better have a good shot."

"It will be." she held the arrow point blank to his head and released it. His eyes rolled back into his head and his grip on my arm loosened, sinking to the ground. It was fairly anticlimactic, as the deaths were in the Arena. Funny how they make them seem so much more horrendous on television.

The cannon fired, but we were not taken away. I looked at Cali, and she looked at me and shrugged. I realised we needed to move away, and as we did, two crafts came. One took the body and the other hovered silently above the Arena. It was just now that it hit me. We survived. Barely, and malnutritioned, and injured, and scarred, but we had done it.

"Congratulations. Young victors, you have won a Century of Hunger Games. Please wait to be taken into the craft." was all the male voice said. That was it? A single word of praise? Either we were really boring tributes, or they were planning on giving us a celebration that would equal no other later.

My thoughts shifted to Wren, and how she didn't get to see the final kill, how she never even got the final kill of the one who had threatened her. We were quite lucky to make it out as we were, Cali the luckiest, although not so emotionally. I had not lost the one thing that reminded me of home. I was going home on the train in two days with not one, but two people. She was going home alone. We would see each other in six months, but who could really survive alone when you had been in the Arena? She had her sister, but each Game is different.

"Where is she?" I asked as soon as the platform came to transport us.

"She's on the other side." the attendant said matter-of-factly.

"Other side...other side of where?"

"She's alive," he rolled his eyes, "she's being fixed up, like you should be. Sit." he took me and Cali and put us in separate wings, separate rooms.

* * *

They had sedated me so I would go unconscious during the procedure, and the last thing I saw was a white light for stitching the wound. I didn't know what they had done, but whatever it was, when I had woken up, I was in my bed at the apartment. Wren was not there, but Anita was. I sat up quickly, making me feel even worse, and I had to lay back down.

"She's in her room. She's sleeping. Don't try to get up."

"Where...where are we? The apartment? Where's Cali?"

"She's in the living room. They wanted her to stay with us and she's the least injured, so they hadn't requested bed rest for her. You two however, you had us scared with your bleeding. Your burns have cleared up, but they'll be leaving the skin surrounding it a bit new and pink. They had to take off one of the tattoos."

"Which one?"

"The one of the wren. I'm sorry, I'm sure you can get it replaced in Dauntless, but not for a while."

"What?" They took her lasting impression off of me.

"The cut was going through it anyway. They wouldn't have been able to patch it up."

"That symbolised my relationship with her." I clenched my jaw. "They can't just _take it off_."

"Well they did. Like I said, after a little, you can get it replaced in Dauntless. It'll be okay. She'll understand." Well that brought it to a new topic.

"How is she, really?"

"Surprisingly okay. She was devastatingly starved," typical, so was I. The only one who wasn't was Cali because she actually ate the most. Well, her and Adam, and Aeryn, when she was around. "But her vitals seemed to have been in check and the cut on her arm wasn't infected at all. Slight concussion from her fight with Caroline, but nothing that hasn't been fixed. Her scar is worse than yours." She tried to make light of the situation.

"When can I see her?"

"Tomorrow, when you get ready for the final interview."

"When do we go home?"

"Right after that we head for the trains."

"Will Cali be coming?"

"Ah...no, she'll have to go back to Annapolis. I'm sorry, I know she was your friend."

"No, no. It's...it's okay. I just didn't want her to be alone, after she lost Aeryn and all."

"Why don't I see if anyone is awake. Maybe you're well enough to get up now. Take it slow."

She eased me up and got me out of bed. I saw Cali downstairs awake and watching the replays on the television.

"Hey," I said weakly. She looked at me and looked back.

"How are you?" I sat next to her.

"What's going to happen?"

"What do you mean?"

"After all this is over? Do we never see each other after this? Do we just lose contact? I can't lose contact with you and Wren, who will I have to talk to about this?" tears welled up in her eyes.

"I don't...we won't. I'll make sure I can video you and chat with you and we'll keep in touch, maybe you and Trevor and Wren and I will come and visit each other."

"Do you think that he'll still love me?"

"Of course, why wouldn't he?"

"Because," she let out a sob, "I killed people."

"So? Wren and I killed people. And it wouldn't matter if she didn't or I didn't. If it's true, then it won't matter what happened."

"Thank you." she hugged me again. She was good to have as a friend, I was going to miss her. I just hoped Wren wouldn't get too jealous. Knowing her, she would come to the wrong conclusion. But this was Cali we were talking about, it wasn't like I was dating her within a day and a half, but being in a match to the death tends to create bonds between people.

"It'll be okay. I promise. Get some rest, hm?" I stood to go to Wren's room.

"Yeah, you too. Tell Wren that you're lucky to have her. I think I love her more than you right now, but you're okay too." she half-joked.

"Yeah, I love her too."

"I know you do, and you should. You always should." she smiled as I went to her room and shut the door.


	59. Chapter 59

When Factions Collide

Chapter 59: Wren

When we had received the news that we were victors, I was falling asleep again. The noise the day before had scared me, and the cannon did as well, but if it were anything serious, they would have come and told me. The final cannon could only have meant that one of them had died, and the voice that boomed through the Arena gave me no hope. I had slept through the list of deaths that night, meaning I didn't know who had died and who had not. I had hoped it wasn't Theo.

On the craft, they deposited me for surgery of stitching the wound, and they gave Adam over to a team of nurses who just let him rest and put more anti-venom into his system to flush out what little of the poison may have been left. I was asleep instantly as they slipped the needle in my arm and began the stitching. It would leave a scar. Not even the Capitol would deny that.

When I woke up, I had been in my room in the apartment, with no one beside me. The disorientation was bad enough, but when I moved my arm, that made it worse. The pain meds must have worn off, because I saw three pills by my table. I took them, and the pain was relieved, so I slept again, ignoring the tray of food to the right of me.

"Wren," I awoke what seemed like seconds later to the sound of the deep voice and a hand in mine. "Wren, you awake?"

"Theo? Theo!" I opened my eyes wider to make sure it was him. "You're alive!"

"Barely, the guy got my back pretty well." he showed me the scar on his back. "It took off the tattoo though, so I'm going to have to get it redone. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. Wait, so if you're alive and Adam is alive, then who..." I trailed off, tears springing to my eyes.

"Hi," a soft voice came through the door, followed by a soft body who sat on the other side of my bed.

"Cali...so Aeryn..."

"She died valiantly, although naturally. Scorpion."

"I'm so sorry." I started crying.

"It's okay, Theo helped me through it. He promised he would stay in contact."

"He did..." I started narrowing my eyes at him. So he was trying to flirt with her? No, a friendly gesture, she had just lost someone. But Adam had lost someone and he was still fine, flirting with me. Maybe he thought that I wasn't going to make it.

"Yeah, but anyway, I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. We have interviews tomorrow. Try to get some rest, Wren," she kissed both my cheeks, a friendly gesture, then kissed one of Theo's. A friendly gesture, or something else?

"What?" he saw my face as she left. I raised an eyebrow.

"Think I was going to die off?"

"What? Wren, no, Cali and I are not a thing. I'm not Adam. She lost someone and until she sees Trevor, she's gonna want to be near someone, and that someone is not going to be Adam. I saved her life! And she saved mine."

"Okay." I let the subject drop for now.

"Let me stay here?" he picked me up into his arms and crawled into bed with me. I was a bit stiff to say the least, emotionally and physically, but I did not say no.

He took his arm and gently slid it under my, curling me into him. I didn't object, and I was rather tired, so I let him. But I was still not happy with him and Cali, because I had the feeling that both of them were up to something. I just wasn't sure what, and I supposed I would never find out. I was too exhausted to stress the matter on him, but he seemed happy by me.

"Wren, we made it. We made it, we're going back to Dauntless."

"Yeah, I guess we are."

"We can really live together and we can be leaders and we can be happy." We. Us. What we could do together. But what if we weren't going to be together? No, I wasn't going to think about that.

"Yeah, we can."

"Aren't you happy?" he looked hurt by my cast-off response. I smiled tensely in return.

"I am, but I'm tired."

"I'll let you sleep. We can rest, actually rest now." I didn't answer as I drifted off, sedated by the pain medications.

"Wren!" I was able to get up and walk around the next day, and I was practically forced to as Jada came to get me to go to the victor's interview. What I did not expect to find were visitors with him.

"Hey," The gruff voice behind Jada made his appearance known, a taller girl next to him.

"Four?" I was able to croak out, still groggy. I noticed Theo had left, and I frowned. Probably with Cali. Probably went to be with her after I fell asleep. My distaste must have been evident because Four answered.

"He's just getting a shower. He'll be with you shortly. I saw him walk over to his room."

"Where's Cali?"

"Down in her room. Saw her walk out too. Wren, you look a wreck, what's up?" he teased.

I stuck my tongue out to him and gave him a hug. He actually cared, but I didn't know why he would. Didn't matter, he was a good friend.

"I would hope I look bad, I just survived eight days in a desert."

"Did you like the gift?"

"You bet I did. Don't know if we would have lasted without it." I gave him a knowing look.

"Yeah, neither do I. We'll discuss it when we get back, okay?"

"Fine."

Jada interrupted the conversation. "Are you ready to go and get ready for the big night in front of the Capitol? You're a star!"

"Yeah, but hang on. Four, introduce me to your friend." I pointed at the girl.

"This is Christina. She was one of Tris' friends, an initiate from Candor."

"How come I never see her on the compound?"

"I couldn't go back after...what happened." she came up to me and shook my hand. "Christina. How are you?"

"I'm well, friend of Tris." I smiled at her, in reverence of her status.

"It's nice to finally meet you in person after Tobias dragged me all the way here to see you after the Games. He wouldn't shut up about making sure you were safe."

"Really?" I looked over at him. I must be important. He gave Christina a glare.

"It's because you're Divergent, of course. But yeah. Wow, Four, you were right, she is a lot like her." she turned back to him.

"I'm sorry about her, she never did quite learn to shut up. Candor for you, no filter." he turned a pinkish color.

"And proud." she grinned.

"I have an aptitude for Candor, actually. It's small, but it's there."

"Well, enough talk, you can do that in front of the camera! Let's get you ready!" Jada once more interjected.

We all followed him out to the car, us four in one, then Adam and Theo in another. Cali got her own for being in a different city. The other three would not stop talking about the Capitol, while I started out the window at the buildings passing by, thinking about my doubts of Theo and Cali.

"Come on, come in. You two can come in too, I suppose." he waved us all in. Certainly excited, that was for sure. Then again, I would be too if my tributes were victors. That meant he was secure in money and royalties from the Capitol. And because I was alive. Jada was my friend, not just a stylist.

"I designed it just for you. Christina and Tobias approved." he stood proudly next to his creation. It was Dauntless, I would give him that. It was no dress, not even a skirt, but instead, a gold halter top with black jewels dripping from the necklines and tight black leather pants. The boots next to it laced up to about my knee.

"Do you like it?" Christina nudged me forward.

"I do, it's just...it's going to be so weird putting it on. I've been stuck in a dirty grey suit all week."

"Take your time. I know it still takes getting used to." Jada said more seriously.

Once I got re-acclimated with everything, I sat down and let my assistants get my hair and makeup done. All they did to my hair was straighten it and left it down with a side braid laced with gold thread. My makeup was a deep smokey eye with a clear gloss for lips. It was very simple, but very sleek. I stepped behind the curtain to get my clothes on, and instantly felt at home, in love with the pants especially. Nothing girly about this outfit. Nothing Capitol either.

"It looks fantastic!" Christina said to me and Jada. He smiled in appreciation. "Four, don't you love it?"

He walked around me in a circle and smiled. "Theo will think it's perfect."

"But what do you think?" I wanted his opinion, not Theo's. Right now I was trying not to hate him or Cali.

"I think it fits."

"That's it? That's all I get?"

"You look good, Wren." he chuckled to himself.

"Are you ready to speak?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Nothing bad will happen," Christina assured me. "Just knock 'em dead and be the Dauntless you've been all your life. Stick a little Candor in there too for me." she winked. I stepped out the door to the backstage area and waited for my cue, as all the victors took their place where they "rightfully" belonged: Alive.


	60. Chapter 60

When Factions Collide

Chapter 60: Tobias

She looked back to me as she went out on stage with the other tributes. They wanted to get the interview started as quickly as possible, so she never even got to see Theo as they went out separate doors.

Looking at her gave me hope for our factions, for our city. She made me feel safe, which was probably not how I should have felt from someone who was only just a new member. But God knows, if Christina approved of her, then she had to be good somehow.

"Good luck, Wren," I shouted to her as the door closed, and then we all went back in the room to watch.

The interview started off with the tributes sitting in four seats across from Caesar. They all said hello to each other and sat down. Cali was the only one not in a Dauntless style, instead in red and yellow for the old Annapolis crest. Theo was dressed like Wren, all black sans a gold vest, and Adam was dressed similarly. We really didn't take gold too seriously as one of our colours, but here, it was like they thrived off of it. Of course they did.

"Sit down, please, sit down. Make yourselves at home." Caesar smiled at them. It was a fake sort of public smile.

"Hello, Caesar, good to be back with you."

"Ah Wren, how are you?"

Her first attempt at humor, not so good. "Alive. More than I care to say." the audience laughed out of respect. He laughed along. She fidgeted.

"Well, staying alive, must feel good to keep breathing."

"I wonder what Theo would do if I stopped breathing?" She tagged him. Why was she so angry with him? Maybe the whole thing with Cali. Funny, Tris never got mad at me for talking to Christina. Then again, life and death made people do strange things.

"Well," Theo was taken off guard on that snap. "What do you think? If they took your body back to Dauntless, I would be the one arranging a holiday in your honor. I would be the one dying with you, by your side. So thank God you're alive." he looked at her with such a loving look in his eyes

"Cali," he turned to face her now. "You're the only one who isn't Dauntless. What can you say to that?"

"Well, I feel like Wren had given so much, and Theo has supported her through it, and that through her, I've become sort of Dauntless, and although my city doesn't have factions, I'm going to teach all who'll listen about their bravery, and how they can be courageous too. Wren, you're my best friend, we've gotten close through difficult circumstances and I hope that you and I will continue to talk." That was very heartfelt, and the Capitol felt it too, because they applauded loudly.

"Cali, do you have anyone waiting at home for you?" Caesar asked after the tender moment.

"I do, I have my magnificent boyfriend Trevor waiting at the station, knowing him, probably right now, for me. I'm so excited to see him."

He laughed again. Caesar seemed to laugh at everything. Capitol. "I'm sure he is twice as excited to see you. Now, Adam, tell me, what are you planning on doing in Dauntless after this is over?"

"Well, Caesar, Wren and I are becoming quite good friends and-"

"You mean, after you were poisoned and she stood by you?"

"Yes, after she made me stay alive, really, she forced me, we just sat there and talked. It gave me some perspective about loving someone." the crowd gasped.

"Oh come on, it was obvious already." I said from inside the room. Christina looked at me to shut up.

"I have been for a while, in love with her, I mean, but Theo and her, they belong together. They're made for each other."

"I agree," said Cali. "They taught me a lot about supporting each other that I hope Trevor saw. And Theo is such a good friend, and I hope that he never loses Wren. Both of them thrive off of each other so well, it's like they're soul mates." Theo smiled and blushed as Wren sank down and changed her position again. The crowd applauded once more at the heartfelt moment.

"One more thing, Wren, you said that you wanted to become a Dauntless leader with Theo?" she nodded. "Does that mean that you may find yourselves with us again?"

"Aside from mentoring other tributes, I think it does. We'll be sure to visit, especially you, Caesar." she smiled and he guffawed loudly.

"My home is always welcome to you, my victors. Theo, Wren, and Adam from Chicago!" he shouted above the noise as they stood up, "And Cali from Annapolis. Victors of the One Hundredth Hunger Games!" The crowd erupted into shouts and cheers. For a second, I thought it sounded like Dauntless. Then, I realized, Dauntless was doing the exact same thing. And now we would all get to go home tonight and see them tomorrow.

* * *

"It was really nice getting to know you, Jada." Christina hugged him goodbye, and he kissed her cheek.

"Come visit me again, okay? You're always welcome." and she stepped on the train. "You too, Tobias. You come again as well. And bring your victor!" he hugged me and gave me a clap on the back.

"Come on up and see us too, right?" I asked him. "It was good seeing you. Thank you for helping me with everything."

"Anytime. Have a safe trip home." he smiled and went over to Wren. I sat next to Christina on the train after getting a glass of brandy. I heard the commotion from outside as she and Jada both hugged and said goodbye, and I smiled at the commotion.

"She's a good person. You're lucky to have her here." Christina said. "I didn't think it was such a good reminder to have her with you, but she's not so much like her that you have to keep an eye on her. She's just enough to keep the memory alive."

"She's like a small flame."

"Oh?"

"Not bright, not in the beginning, but her glow can still light up a room and it grows with time."

"Oh, that makes sense. What does that make Tris?"

"The complete opposite. She was bright, but fast. Doesn't mean she didn't lighten me up any though."

"I understand. They're opposites, but their values are the same."

"Right. They're similar, but they're nothing alike." I nodded. She came on the train after saying goodbye to Cali as well, and Adam and Theo came on together, sitting on the other side.

"I feel bad for leaving Cali alone on her own train." Wren said.

"She'll be fine." Theo told her. Things seemed to soften between the two, but there was still tension. "Everything will be fine." he looked at her and kissed her.


	61. Chapter 61

When Factions Collide

Chapter 61: Wren

"Wren, Wren, get up." I heard the voice at the side of my bed. For a minute, one groggy minute, I thought it was Theo telling me to get up, but then I looked at the eyes. Blue.

"Tobias? What do you want?"

"Sh, get up, I want to talk to you."

The whole train trip had been boring so far. Theo was always with me, no chance of being alone, and as much as I didn't mind, I thought he was trying to make up for something, which made me suspicious.

I was kind of glad for this distraction, and I got up without waking Theo and followed Four into the skylight car. He sat down and poured me a drink, making himself at home. I was surprised Christina wasn't with him, but why did he want me alone?

"I wanted to answer your questions about the chip. I owe you that."

"Yeah, you're damn right you do!" I harshly whispered. "What the hell did you do to me? And why didn't my wound heal straight away?"

"Let me explain to you the basics. I found the chip outside the city, where they were working on another simulation to lead the Divergent out of the city unharmed. So I messed with the software, changed the purpose, and deleted the simulation. Well, I edited the simulation."

"So I'm under a simulation?"

"No. What the chip does is it preserves your life. If you say, got shot, directly in the heart, point blank, it would be like if you were in a coma and you were on life support. It makes sure you don't die until I give it the command to. I'll turn that part off now, if you want. There's no immediate danger. I wanted to implement them in any Divergents, so that way what happened before doesn't happen again. The other part strengthens your natural abilities. So, example, you can throw knives. A pretty good distance, an excellent accuracy. Imagine being able to have that accuracy in pitch black, or say your combat skills in a head lock. Imagine being able not only to be Erudite about a logic problem, but implement the solution in real life, not just theoretically. I made this for good. I didn't want to be Jeanine about it."

I slowly calmed down and took it all in. He really was just trying to protect me. I didn't know what to say, so I just sat there until he looked at me with a confused look on his face.

"Wren?"

"No, I get it. I understand. But why didn't I heal right away?"

"The way the program is set up, it doesn't heal you instantaneously as much as it does protect from anything worse happening. It doesn't give you the ability to never get hurt, but if you're injured, it just lessens the ability for anything worse to happen. Notice how your wound didn't get infected at all."

"Yeah, but it took forever to clot."

"Yeah, that's because it makes the brain produce more blood, and more immunity than it does platelets. Your blood won't clot faster, but you'll be less at risk for like I said, anything worse, deepening of the cut, tearing the tissue, infection, any of those risks are at a minimum."

"Oh. _Oh._ I get it. That's smart, Four."

"Thank you. You're the first one who's had a logical reaction."

"Well, I do have an aptitude for Erudite."

"True, but that doesn't mean much, you just have a sensible reaction. How are you and Theo?" Ah, he reached the question. I was starting to get comfortable with Tobias, but I had no intention of disclosing my personal life with him.

My silence was all that was needed for him to have a reason to doubt.

"Listen, from what I saw on the Games, it didn't look like he had any feelings for her. In fact, it looked like he was talking about you the entire time. And she doesn't want to mess you guys up. So believe me, he loves you and wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

"You think so?"

"I do." I didn't know if I should believe him. I wasn't thinking so. He didn't watch all of the Games. He could have missed something.

"Okay, Tobias. Is that all you wanted to say to me?" I stood up to leave.

"Yeah, but we can just sit if you want. I understand how you feel about Theo." he seemed to want me there. I sat back down, placating him.

"I just don't want to do anything until we get back."

"Wait, what?"

"I don't know, I was planning on breaking up with him for a little. I'm just too tired for anything right now. I just came out of the Hunger Games."

"This isn't about Cali, is it?"

"It is, it's not, I don't know anymore. I saw him kill people. He saw me kill people. That certainly doesn't help a relationship. How hard was it between you and Tris?" I wanted to know.

"It was pretty hard. There were a few, well, several times, where I almost gave up. Where she almost gave up. But we came back together. It just takes a while. I wish we had a while."

"I wish you did too."

"You do remind me of her, Christina wasn't lying about that."

"How much?"

"You look nothing like her," I scoffed. I know I didn't. "But your attitude, your passion, it's very similar. I like the way you act. It's a good memory."

"Thanks, I guess." I wasn't sure if I liked being just a memory of her to him, I wanted to be friends, not a ghost.

"No, no, I mean just, you're a lot different than her. She was more stubborn, you're more laid back. I do like being friends with you for you, but I just think you are a lot like her, you could be more if you wanted."

"Oh, well, really, thanks. Do you mind if we just stay here the night?" It was about three in the morning.

"No, I don't mind at all. Take the couch, I'll take the chair."

"Thank you, Tobias. I'm excited to see everyone." I sighed when I had laid down on the couch.

"They can't wait to see you either. It's been lonely." he chuckled, then stopped. "Things have gotten different. But I don't think I have the right to say anything to prepare you, so I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I forgive you in advance. At least you warned me."

"I don't think you should break up with Theo. I think you should just work it out."

"I wish I could, but I don't know how."

"Well, it's up to you. Goodnight, Wren." he stopped talking so I could get some rest. It had been a while since I had gotten a good night's sleep. I didn't realise that after tonight, it would be even longer.


	62. Chapter 62

**_AN: It was all too easy for me to write this chapter, and I know it shouldn't have been. But I enjoy conflict. As for her, yes, all of this can happen and is very real, and I tried to write it as if it could happen to someone. I'm pretty accurate with my info. Hope you all are enjoying, you only have to put up with it a little longer! Enjoy~_**

* * *

When Factions Collide

Chapter 62: Wren

It was three in the morning when I fell asleep. It was eleven when I woke up. I had only slept eight hours, but we had two hours before arriving and I was sure that everyone else was up. I sat up and looked around, remembering last night. Tobias was slung across the chair next to me, his glass sideways on the floor, the ice and whatever was left of his drink spilled. He must have nursed it last night and finally fell asleep.

I looked at the floor and traveled up, stopping at my hands. My hands that have hurt people. My hands that have saved people. My hands that were covered in blood that was not mine, wielding a knife. My breath hitched as I imagined the blood on them, and suddenly I felt that I couldn't get away from it. I felt almost sick.

"Oh my God," I groaned. I thought I was being quiet when I said it, but apparently not because Four woke up out of his stupor and looked at me as I was frozen, looking down.

"What's up?" he asked, thinking I was just waking up. This was not a time to be casual. I felt like I couldn't breathe, a choking sensation filled me. He saw this and instantly came over and wrapped an arm around me, trying to comfort me. "Wren, what's wrong, what are you looking at? Your hands are fine."

"I can't breathe." was all I said and I shuddered at the thought of being trapped in my own body.

"You're breathing right now." He looked at me with a worried look.

"There's blood on them. I killed people. I held knives and stabbed them."

"Oh." the small word left his mouth, and his face changed to a painful understanding. Of course he understood, he had been in war. "You're panicking. I've got you. Everything will be alright."

I knew I shouldn't have. I really shouldn't have and Tris would have killed me. But I immediately wrapped my arms around him and sobbed into his chest.

"I should be dead, Tobias! I'm sitting here alive and well, and I should be dead. You should be delivering my funeral right now. Why am I alive?" He wasn't repulsed. Why wasn't he recoiling? I was a murderer.

"I understand." and he did. I knew that. "But you're alive because you're meant to be. People need you here, you're coming back for them. You also saved people with those hands," he took one and let it go. "You saved Adam because it was the right thing to do. You _saved_ people." he took my face into his hands. "You're also going to be a leader. Act like one." his face stiffened and he let me go.

"Wow, Tobias. Thanks. Hadn't realised." my panic was gone now, and I was faced with frustration.

He thought about what he said and became apologetic. "I'm sorry. That was mean. I shouldn't have said that. But Wren, you're okay. Think about that. This is guilt that the Capitol is trying to put on you. And it's because you're Divergent that you're feeling something. I can guarantee that Adam is probably not feeling anything. Theo will be, but he's putting on a strong face. You have to as well, at least for now. I understand. I shouldn't have said anything to you like that. It'll get better, I promise. It's just panic."

"But I feel like I should be dead."

He shrugged. "Guilt, remorse. I block it out, but I remember for the first two years, it was painful. It still is, looking at you. I guess that's why I have to steel myself. I'm sorry, I should be kinder. But I've trained myself to be hard on people, especially people like you, like Tris. A high breaking point. I'm here for you." he squeezed my hand. "Just hang in there for a couple more hours, a few deep breaths, and I'm there for you." I nodded and closed my eyes, doing what he said. I felt a bit calmer, at least able to move and stand.

"I guess I should act like one." I said. "You're not repulsed by me?"

"No. Why would I be? I know how you feel, and I've dealt with Tris. She kind of taught me about tears." he laughed. "But you can let yourself be open around me, around Theo. Honest. I'm sorry I said what I did." he gave me another hug and let me go to get a shower.

When I went into the room, I saw clothes given to me from Jada to Tobias to me. They were leather pants, like the ones from the interview, and a black v-neck top, complete with a black jacket. Perfect for going home.

"Thank you, Jada." I said to no one in particular. As soon as the sentiment left my mouth, a pair of muscular arms came around me and enveloped me.

"Where were you last night?" Theo asked me.

"Oh, um, Four wanted to talk to me and I kind of just fell asleep there. Sorry." I escaped from his grip.

"It's okay. Something wrong?"

"No, I just want to get a shower." I trained my eyes to look down. I should have been able to lie better. He knew something was up but let me go.

In the shower, the cleaning itself took about ten minutes. It was me deciding if I wanted to get out of the water's warm embrace that took about fifteen minutes. I finally figured that I was clean enough, and that if there were really any blood on me, then no one would be hugging me. I reluctantly got out and changed, feeling extremely comfortable in the clothes, and went into the car where everyone else was sitting. They were all wearing black too, even Anita, who wore a navy blue power suit, and Christina who wore a black Candor suit.

I took a seat next to Adam, as Tobias was with Christina, and I didn't want to be near Theo right now. Not until I decided what to do. Anita looked at me with such a holiness that I must have been some kind of mystical god, and Adam was the only friendly face in the room, surprisingly, so I gravitated toward him.

"Good morning, Wren. How did you sleep?" Anita asked cheerfully.

"It wasn't the sleeping part that was the problem. It was the waking up." I said. They all though I was joking, and laughed. Only Tobias looked at me in understanding. Well, Christina did too, but laughed along to be polite. I couldn't stand any of them. I had to get out.

I went to the dining car after casting a look to Four, and he gave me a small nod and I left, leaving Theo with a worried look, Anita waving it off as me wanting food, and Adam following me.

"You didn't sleep well either?" Adam sat across from me.

"No, I slept fine, it was just waking up and...I saw blood on my hands." I said to him.

"Really?"

"It was imaginary. I was seeing things. I was panicking. Adam, how do you feel about the Games?"

"I mean, it's not an experience that I want ever again, but it's over now, and I feel brave. I'll get over it."

"But didn't you kill people?"

"No. I stayed out of that." he said tersely. I tensed up. Tobias was right. The non-Divergents were okay with the Games.

"Oh. Well, maybe I'm just not over it yet." I lied. I never would be.

"You'll be happy eventually. But I think your problem lies with Theo. You don't know what he did with Cali and you're scared."

"How do you know?"

"It's written all over you, and the interview last night. You were very pointed towards them."

"I was thinking about breaking up with him."

"Oh. I'm sorry. Can't you work it out or anything?"

"It's not just her, it's just...I want to be alone for a little while I sort myself out. I've _killed_ people. I need to take care of myself before loving anyone else."

"I understand." He nodded his head and asked for some cake.

"I just don't understand why I'm allowed to live and eat not-Dauntless cake and twenty other tributes are dead."

"I don't know. I wish I could help. But soon, if it makes you feel better, you're going to be eating Dauntless cake in an hour." he smiled and dug in. I put my face in my hands and sat there as he ate. "You know, I meant it, last night on the interview. I really hope we have a shot at being friends."

"We do. I just need some time alone for a couple days before I start to become human again."

"I understand. See you in a bit." he got up and left me to my own devices.

* * *

When we arrived nearer to the station, I made out a sea of black in the front. Of course the girls would be here to greet me. I saw Payton, Mels, Isaac, Bri, Nate, Erin and Em. No Peter. I saw behind them, standing among the Dauntless but not with them, a woman in a grey dress. My mother made her way to the front to greet me. I smiled and went to the door to wait for the train to stop.

First Anita went out and parted the crowds, and Tobias and Christina slipped out behind her. Then we, as the victors, came out and were greeted with cheers and shouts of excitement. We were back home.

Immediately I was tackled by someone, and my first instinct I was sorry to say was to reach down for my knives and stab her. But it was just Bri. I didn't need to do that. I released my hand slowly and returned the hug.

"Wren you're back!" she yelled into my ear.

"I'm back, no need to shout it." I laughed. She pulled away and looked a little bashful.

"Yeah, sorry about the whole tackle thing. I'm a bit clumsy I suppose. Excitement."

Mels and Payton were the next two up to hug me, and then Isaac picked me up and spun me around. All of them shouted praise and thankfulness all around. Nate, Em, and Erin all gave me small hugs, but then I saw my mother and pushed everyone aside to see her.

"Mom, you came to greet me." I hugged her.

"I'm glad you're back, however selfish a thought that may be."

"It's not selfish to want your daughter back." I stood down, acting a bit younger than I should.

"I'm just happy you're safe and home. I love you." she said.

"I'll have to go back to the compound." I looked at the ground.

"I know, but you're back where you should be. With people who care about you. Take care, Wren. I'll probably see you around."

I went back to the group of Dauntless, said goodbye to Christina, who was headed toward Candor again, and I hugged Anita goodbye as she was back on her way to the Capitol. The rest of the Dauntless loudly whooped and cheered while exiting the Hub station, and Isaac picked me up and carried me down the stairs.

"You ready to run?" he asked me as he set me down.

"I've been waiting a while to do this." and we took off toward the trains, hopping on with ease.

I took a seat next to Isaac and Theo plopped down unceremoniously next to me, Tobias and Adam on the other side. It was really my last chance to decide if I wanted to continue this, and as much as I did, I didn't. But I took his hand anyway and casually leaned into him, prompting a grin from his end. I might as well make the most of what's left.

"So, I'm sure you've heard the news," Isaac started. "Mels and I are over."

"What?" I was surprised. This must have been what Tobias meant. "No, I didn't hear."

"Oh, yeah, just decided we were better as friends. No big deal." But it was a big deal by the way he looked. "Nate and Bri are broken up too." I did not see that one coming either.

"I'm so sorry." I said in reference to both of them.

"You couldn't have known." He shook his head at my sympathy. He was sure right about that. I was about to join the list of break ups.

"Ready to jump?" Tobias asked from the other side, hearing the whole conversation. We followed his lead and I was still able to land on both feet and keep running until we reached the Pit.

The Pit was already extremely loud, but when we walked in, the room got extraordinarily louder, erupting in a thunderous applause at our efforts in the Games. Even Peter made a short speech on us.

Dinner was loud and I was laughing, my mind not even focused on killing people. It was quite nice. The only problem was what was to come after. That was either going to end with us being friends, like nothing happened at all, or disastrous. I wasn't sure which one I preferred.

We walked back to the rooms loudly and without care for others who maybe were trying to sleep. It was about two in the morning, but I didn't need to get up at six, so I would sleep. Tobias had a bottle of whiskey that he was carrying with him that we all took gulps from. We all said goodnight and went to our respective quarters, except for me and Theo.

"Theo, wait a second." he looked at me with a sort of passion in his eyes.

"Do you want to stay here or go with your friends?"

"I...I can't." I started. "I can't do this anymore. I wish I could, I really do. And I still care about you, I love you, but this isn't fair to you."

"Is this because of Cali?" he was angry. "Because you _know_ that I would never do anything to hurt you. You know that I wouldn't cheat on you. Whatever this is, we can work it out. You don't have to do this."

"How did you feel...after killing those people, how did you feel?"

"When I'm with you, I don't feel anything but strength. I feel like I can get through it. But without you, I feel like I'm going to sink to the ground, like I should become one of them. I feel dead. I might as well be without you." I nodded. He was a definite Divergent, seeing as they were the only ones besides the War veterans like Christina who thought this was an abomination to society.

"I know. And I feel the same."

"Then why can't you stay?"

"Because I don't want you to have to deal with me panicking. I can't control it. You want to know what happened this morning when I woke up? I panicked. I freaked out. I sat there, shaking, looking at my hands. I've killed people too. Willingly. I'm a _murderer_."

"It doesn't matter." he shook his head. "We went through the same thing."

"I want to be with you, but I need time to straighten myself out before I can love again. And when I do, maybe I'll come back. But Theo, our old factions never got along for a reason. They were too different. One thought of only themselves and how they could benefit from research or advancement. The other one cared only about others and how they would benefit. I'm not calling you one of them, I'm calling myself Abnegation. I care too much about you to lead you on when I'm not sure how I feel about even breathing at a given moment. When factions collide, it's going to backfire somehow. There's always a fight from the impact." I lowered my head.

"I believe that when they do come together, when the impact is strong enough," he said softly, "That they bond together for life. Something new happens, and they both form a need for each other. A symbiotic relationship."

"I just don't want to be a parasite." I admitted to him. Where were the days when he was only my trainer?

"When factions collide, especially warring ones, I believe it's for a reason. You may not know what it is now, but I'll wait, I swear to God I'll wait for you to figure it out."

I turned and walked away after that last sentence, wanting to conceal my tears even when he hardly made an effort to mask his. I closed the door to my dwelling behind me and sat down, and his words echoed in my head.

"I want to believe in a reason. I want to so, so badly. But it's impossible. When factions collide, there's always war." I whispered to myself, as if he could hear me, two doors down, but already a million miles away.


	63. Chapter 63

When Factions Collide

Chapter 63: Tobias

Two Months After

It's been about two months since the Games. I wish I could say everything has been going smoothly. It's been far from. I've been fine, talking to Christina, who's still been in contact with Jada. She seems happy, although not as happy as when she was with Will. That will never happen, and we both know it. But she's happy.

I'm happy too. I will never move on from Tris, and I know that, but Wren is starting to help me through it. She's a great friend and is always there to listen if I have some sort of flashback to the past, or when she reminds me of her, I tell her, and she listens to the endless stories, most of which I've probably repeated by now.

All of us are happy. But none of us are okay. We've all suffered loss. Wren and Theo the most. And Adam. The tributes' lives have been degraded as they've been washed away from humanity, scrubbed down until they've been at the bare minimum of devolution. We've tried to bring them back, but especially after the huge breakup, nothing has ever felt quite right. There hasn't been fighting, we all still talk, they're still friends, but there will always be a sense of over-looming regret hanging among us and our broken relationships.

It's amazing how our relationships shape us. As supportive as they can be, they can make us so dependent, so need-based, that we forget that their purpose is to find more about who we truly are. They're supposed to show ourselves the best of us, and the worst. That's what was happening before the Games, and it was destroyed. But new things begin. Old things end. And nothing is ever quite the same.

Wren has four times complained about waking up in the night, and each time has come to me about it. I suspect there have been more times from the way that Isaac or her friends look at her, pale and tired, but no one says anything. Theo hasn't been well either. He's taken to going to bed extremely early and waking up too late. While Wren can't sleep, that's all Theo does. They've tried talking, but every time, something happens to her and she runs off. I want to tell him it's not his fault. I want to tell him that it's the Capitol that was slowly trying to brainwash her into becoming an animal, that she didn't let them, that it's tearing both of them apart. But to do so without eliciting some sort of monologue or deep emotional response from Theo is impossible.

Theo has been in contact with Cali about a few of these nightmares he's been having, but she tends not to respond back, and if so, very late. It seems as though now that she's back with her now fiance, she has no need of friendship in other cities. He talks to me too. I tried to give them a one on one confrontation, but Wren refuses to be helped. Well, either that or she's in panic half of the time.

It's not as bad as I make it out to be, I suppose. There have been good things. Peter has gratefully stepped down from being leader and Wren has stepped up. He's been very quiet lately, not disturbing what little peace there is. She's been enjoying her training, but Theo stepped down as well, temporarily, meaning I have to take his post. Her training has been going smoothly, and he in return has taken my job working at the control room. A momentary switch in perspectives.

Mels and Adam have also found in each other a happy place, which I find hard to believe, but it's only been about three weeks. That one wasn't expected. He seems to have toned down without Caroline, so he finally acts like he belongs. Although his friendship with Wren seems to be wavering, he is there for her when she needs it. She needs the support, and finds it unconditionally. It seems that the Divergents are taking the Games harder than the GDs.

She's trying to push everyone away. I recognise the behavior from Tris. I've got to keep my eye on her to make sure that she won't do anything reckless, although I doubt that's the case. In fact, she came in after leader training to talk about a few things, none of them reckless.

"Wren, won't you come in? Have a seat. I'll make some tea." she knocked on my door at around five, tears threatening to spill over as she stood in my doorway.

"Thank you." she sat on my couch as I grabbed a cup, poured brandy in it, and mixed it with tea I already had brewing.

"What's up? Another nightmare?"

"No, I haven't had any all week." I frowned at her. "Okay, I've had the same one three times now but I've been to Isaac. I just don't want to annoy you."

"You're not going to. I'm your friend, I'm here to listen. God knows that you've listened to my stories about Tris countless times."

"She's interesting. These aren't. How is Theo?" That was the first time she actively asked about him in two months.

"He's not okay." I said simply.

"Is he in touch with Cali?"

"Hardly. She never responds."

"Really? She does to me. All the time. She said it was a pity we broke up but she hoped we would be okay. She's getting married soon."

"I heard. Wren, you're avoiding the subject." I was good with her tells.

"How? How am I supposed to love again when I can't love myself? Why do I deserve love?"

Oh. "Wren, so many people here adore you, you've just got to let yourself be open again. Have you been panicking again?"

"It's constant. Every time I get happy, it goes away. It's like the feeling is the same every time, but still so foreign. Sometimes it gets bad and I feel like I can't breathe, but that's only once every couple weeks, when I come to you. Isaac can't handle my panic attacks."

"Theo's been having anxiety too. God, it's these stupid Games that are messing people up! They have for years now, and they'll continue to do it." She sipped tea from her cup as I ranted. She agreed silently.

"I want to be with him, I do. But how will he ever accept me? I have no one."

"You have me. You have Isaac. Mels-"

"She's been in Adam's room, and you know Payton and Erin have been hitting it off."

"You still have Bri, Nate, and Theo really does still love you. The only reason he took off from being a leader is so you wouldn't have to see him. He was in here yesterday, telling how he lives for the days that he hears you running in the hallway, happy and smiling. Those are the days that I live for too, to see my friends happy."

"Thanks, Tobias."

"I think that you and Theo should really talk it out. I really do. I'm not going to tell you to get over the Games, that would be awful. But you both need each other, even more now."

"But what about you? Don't you need someone after Tris?"

"Are you kidding? I've got Isaac." I joked and batted my eyelashes. "No, I don't need anyone. That's why I live vicariously, through the memories. Probably the worst idea in the world, but it keeps me alive. It keeps her alive. It'll be hard, I know how it feels to kill people, to suffer death and war. And I know how it feels to be alone. And I don't want that same thing happening to you. You and Theo are perfect for each other, and right now, I think you need him more than you need me or Isaac. If one of him equals two of us, then reconsider the choice you're making."

"You're right. But how? I can't just say I'm sorry and have him running back to me. That's awful. Something Caroline would have done."

"Tris used to. Well, I'd make her work for it. Well, she'd make me work for it, actually. But all you have to do is talk. I know you. I know that behind all the panic and fear of the Games in your eyes, that you're back there. I can see it in you, whenever you really smile or really laugh, I can see that the Wren that was here before the Games is here. Dauntless is your home. We're your family. And I want to see the Dauntless in your eyes again. You're a victor. And so is Theo. And all you need to do is accept that, and you'll find yourself again. Come on, let's go to dinner, shall we?" I held out my arm for her to take, trying to cheer her up as we went down. I just hope tonight her nightmares won't disturb her, but that's a lot to ask from the Capitol, who got inside her and keeps torturing her from beyond.

No, life will never be the same after the Hunger Games. And life in Dauntless is just a piece of that. But what is life without it's challenges? What is life for someone so aware of her surroundings? What is life without a bit of Divergence? Memories are the things that make or break us. That, I know too well. But so is our awareness. So is our family. So are our struggles. And I think we've had enough of those to last forever. I think the last thing we need, especially for someone so Divergent, for someone who's fought other human beings for a spot just to say she's alive, I think the last thing we need is more pain. Dread, unlike fear, doesn't wake us up. It shuts us down. And I, like the rest of us, want to be awake. I want to be brave. And I know she does too.

END OF FIRST BOOK.

* * *

_**AN: This is it! That was the end! Well, obviously it was. I really hope you all enjoyed it, it was fun to write! If you liked it, there will be a sequel that I'm currently outlining now, but don't expect it too soon. If you didn't, I thank you for sticking with this journey anyway. Thank you so much for all of your views, it really does mean a lot and it gives me more confidence to write. I can't possibly say any more kind words in fear that I'll be writing a paragraph longer then this book, but thank you a million times, and I hope that you guys will check out some of my other stories!**_


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